JAV-A-GO HERO IN THRILLER
Aston Villa 2 Manchester Utd 3 Weimann 45, 50 Hernandez 58, 87
Vlaar og 63 Premier League, November 10, 2012 Attendance at Villa Park: 40,538
PREMIER LEAGUE leaders Manchester United were 2-0 down after 50 minutes at Villa Park – but there was no need to panic.
The visitors had salvaged 12 points from losing positions already that season and so would fancy another escape after Andreas Weimann had struck either side of half-time, his first goals of the season for Paul Lambert’s Aston Villa.
United had a good record at Villa Park. They were unbeaten in the league there since a 3-1 loss in 1995, when Sir Alex Ferguson had thrown in youngsters such as David Beckham and Paul Scholes and was told by then Match of the Day pundit Alan Hansen: “You can’t win anything with kids.”
United fell behind in stoppage time at the end of the first half.
Christian Benteke shrugged off Chris Smalling and teed up Weimann for a pinpoint side-foot finish from just inside the penalty area.
Ferguson replaced Ashley Young with Javier Hernandez at the break and the Mexican, also known as Chicharito, looked a good player to bring on. He had scored in his previous three games – but he had barely had a touch of the ball before Villa had doubled their lead.
Weimann had the simplest of tap-ins from six yards out after Gabby Agbonlahor picked him out.
But the home side’s advantage was wiped out by two goals in the space of seven minutes.
First, Scholes lofted a through ball into Hernandez’s path.
The striker looked in danger of tripping over his feet before he rolled his shot wide of Villa keeper Brad Guzan, and saw it go trickling into the corner of the net.
Guzan was left groping at thin air again, after Hernandez’s cross-shot hit Villa skipper Ron Vlaar on the hip and squeezed inside his near post, tying the scores at 2-2 with 63 minutes on the clock.
United’s Robin van Persie then wobbled the woodwork twice before setting up the dramatic late winner.
He swept in a free-kick towards the six-yard box and Hernandez was able to stoop down and steer his header into the bottom corner.