Teking it all the way to the wire
CHRISTIAN DEEDS KEEP VILLA AFLOAT
IF ANYONE left Villa Park with a broader smile than Tim Sherwood, it was England manager Roy Hodgson.
Three precious points for Aston Villa manager Sherwood as he continued his transformation of a side that once had a “month of the goal” competition – into one that scores for fun.
They must be optimistic of going into the FA Cup final against Arsenal with their Premier League status intact. But while Christian Benteke continues to grab headlines it is Fabian Delph who is capturing the attention of two bosses who regard him as a key component of their respective teams.
“I wouldn’t swap him for anyone,” said Sherwood. “There is not a better midfield player in the country. He is a leader. Yes, he is a good talker but more than that, he leads by example. He can tackle, pass and score goals.”
That would not have b been lost on Hodgson w who was watching f from the stands. The i initial selection of Delph for England prompted a few raised eyebrows. Now there would be queries if he was left out.
He is a certainty for the matches against the Republic of Ireland and Slovenia next month. Yesterday, he showed again why is rated so highly by his club and country.
Villa Park is a vibrant arena these days. They are responding to the challenge of becoming what the manager calls “a Tim Sherwood team”.
“We pass, we have pace and we score goals,” said the man who is leading Villa to survival. And the players are responding to the new air of optimism.
Delph created the opening goal after 10 minutes. His deep cross from the left gave Benteke the chance to leap higher than any Everton defender to head home.
James McCarthy and Steven Naismith apart, Everton just could not compete. “Not good enough in the first half,” was the assessment of manager Roberto Martinez.
Villa capitalised on non-existent marking on the stroke of half-time when 19-year-old sensation Jack Grealish’s left-wing corner eluded everyone but Benteke. True Everton rallied in the second half – but if any moment summed up the lack of application from too many of their players, it came in the 54th minute.
A through ball from Naismith gave Kevin Mirallas a chance to run at the Villa goal. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the huge figure of Jores Okore closing in and Mirallas jumped high before the Villa defender made any contact.
Everton pulled a goal back through a Romelu Lukaku penalty on 59 minutes after Ron Vlaar’s clumsy challenge on Naismith but the ever-improving Tom Cleverley collected a through ball from Leandro Bacuna five minutes later to restore the two-goal advantage.
Villa still had to endure a nervy ending after Shay Given – on his first Premier League start since August 2012 – appeared to fumble a dropping ball, and Phil Jagielka headed home.
STAMMERS’ VERDICT
Excellent performance from Villa – imaginative, creative and dynamic. Everything, in fact, that Everton were not. Three valuable points for Villa. More dominant than the scoreline suggests.
There is not a better midfield player in the country than Fabian Delph
TIM SHERWOOD (left)