Aston Villa 0 – 1 MAN CITY – MY THOUGHTS

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It wasn’t the most exhilarating of games, nor the most conclusive of scorelines, but it was more than enough to secure another valuable victory and restore our two-point lead at the top of the Premier League table. The Blues produced a competent, effective and, at times, impressive performance at Villa Park and courtesy of Joleon Lescott’s second half strike, we once again move just ahead of Manchester United.

For 88 minutes, this match was a picture of comfort. We were utterly dominant, controlled the tempo of the game throughout and although the breakthrough didn’t arrive until later, it always carried the feel of a matter of when, not if, we would score. Villa threatened briefly from a couple of corners in injury time but three points was nothing less than we deserved.

There were a number of impressive individual displays, most notably from former Villain Gareth Barry. His form this season has been consistently excellent and although he has looked a touch weary over the past month, he produced a magnificent showing yesterday. His tackling was exemplary, his positional play superb and he was constantly driving us forward. Roberto Mancini recognises just how important Barry is to the team, not only with his reading of the game and passion in midfield, but also in providing that much-needed balance to our play.

He was ably supported by a rock-solid defence, with Joleon Lescott producing another top-notch showing. When Vincent Kompany was suspended recently, it was clear to see that Lescott took on greater responsibility and it was pleasing to observe that, despite the captain’s return, the former Everton man was still vocal at the back. He looked far more assured on the ball than normal, he nullified the threat of Darren Bent and Robbie Keane, and he showed a striker’s instinct to be in the right place to turn Barry’s flickdown in. With Kolo Touré on the verge of returning following the African Cup of Nations, Lescott picked the perfect time to display his undoubted quality and it will be tough for Mancini to drop him.

One further element that was especially pleasing was the patience we showed and the refusal to panic. Despite controlling the game, we struggled in the first half to make the breakthrough but instead of reverting to a more direct style of football, we remained calm and showed great self-belief. Our recent away matches have been noticeable for our domination of proceedings but an inability to find the net, but we stayed patient and got our just rewards.

Opposition View: Our hosts were woefully underwhelming, totally lacking in any sort of ambition and although it is difficult to play against City when we control the game, there seemed to be a distinct lack of fight and application. In Bent and Keane, they possess two high quality forwards but with no service, their threat was non-existent. Richard Dunne was strong at the back and he will be a huge miss through injury, but if they can start to recover some confidence, they have enough good players to get results.

As for the Blues, we now have an extended break from domestic action as the Europa League returns. A trip to Porto on Thursday is followed by the reverse fixture the following week, so it is pleasing to be heading into those matches with a two-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

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