SMARTING ALEX FAR FROM HAPPY
ASTON VILLA: NORWICH boss Alex Neil was pleased with the result rather than the performance after his side beat 10-men Burton to go top of the table for the first time this season.
A well-taken first-half effort from left-back Martin Olsson put the Canaries ahead at the break only for the Brewers to hit back seconds after the restart thanks to Lucas Akins.
But the hosts restored their advantage from the kick-off through Jacob Murphy’s deflected effort and could afford to miss a Robbie Brady penalty before Ivo Pinto struck two minutes from time to confirm the win.
Neil said: “We are obviously delighted to have taken the points but Burton played well and made us work very hard for the win, even though I thought we were the better side.
“I am satisfied with the result because that is the main thing in any game, to win it. As for NEWCASTLE:
The late kick-off did not live up to the hype for the first hour as Newcastle bossed the game, until Villa came back stronger in the second-half to nick their sixth draw in nine games.
Rafa Benitez’s high-flying Newcastle were ahead at the break courtesy of a Tommy Elphick own-goal and it could have been worse – but missed chances cost the Geordies dear in the final reckoning.
Villa dropped arguably their most creative player, Jack Grealish, after the club suspended him for one match for his latest off-field mischief.
And Villa striker Jonathan Kodjia should have scored in the fifth minute after Albert Adomah played him in – but he shot straight at the goalkeeper when one-on-one.
Newcastle edged the early exchanges and Villa keeper Pierluigi Gollini blocked at close range to deny Matt Ritchie after 27 minutes.
The Magpies’ pressure was beginning to tell and it was little surprise when they went ahead, though an own-goal was a gift from Villa in the 28th minute.
Right-back DeAndre Yedlin’s delivery was heading towards lone front man Dwight Gayle but Elphick deflected into his own net trying to snuff out the danger.
Newcastle should have doubled their lead shortly after against a nervous Villa, whose midfield was invisible in the first-half.
Blundering skipper Elphick was caught in possession on the edge of his own area by Gayle and Villa were thankful again to Italian stopper Gollini for another block. Villa boss Roberto di Matteo changed his formation at half-time from 3-5-2 to 4-4-2 but witnessed little improvement – at first.
The Geordies might have scored again in the 63rd minute if Mohamed Diame had not put his shot wide from ten yards from a Jonjo Shelvey cross.
Villa’s one bright spark was the threat and pace of striker Jordan Ayew, starved of service for long periods. But when he did get on the ball he gave Newcastle problems.
One such time was his mazy run when skipping inside Ritchie and then beating Isaac Hayden with a step-over before his shot scraped a post from 20 yards.
It then looked like Mile Jedinak had put Villa on level terms in the 70th minute with a looping header from Ayew’s free-kick but he was correctly ruled offside.
Tshibola was also correctly booked for diving when trying to claim a penalty 10 minutes from time as Villa became desperate to find an equaliser.
Villa’s late surge did finally bear fruit and it was created by Ayew’s corner-kick, which found Tshibola and he planted his header low into the net at the far post. Newcastle had bossed two-thirds of the game but were hanging on at the end. the performance, well I thought there were a number of good individual displays but did we play well as a collective unit? I think we could probably have been better.
“The main thing is we are getting results, that is what it is all about.
“It was a good result and puts us in a nice position going up to Newcastle on Wednesday – we will be going up there looking to win.”
Burton boss Nigel Clough felt a number of decisions didn’t go his side’s way, including a second yellow for Tom Flanagan for the handball that led to the spot-kick which Robbie Brady had saved by Jon McLaughlin with Norwich leading 2-1.
Clough said: “If that’s deliberate it was one hell of a save, maybe we need to start thinking of him as a goalkeeper.
“It was just one of those days when things didn’t go our way, from the moment we lost Chris O’Grady in the warm-up (to a calf injury).
“But we were playing against a side who were in the Premier League five months ago, who could afford to change their whole side after winning at Everton in midweek.”