FOOTBALL Live

Saturday February 9, 2008 Finished Villa Park

Logo 4 - Logo 1

Aston Villa

  • Bouma 48’
  • Carew 51’, 72’, 90’ (pen.)

Newcastle United

  • Owen 5’
  1. Carew hat-trick downs Toon

    Carew hat-trick downs Toon

    A John Carew hat-trick helped Aston Villa move up to fifth in the table as they came from a goal down to beat Newcastle 4-1 at Villa Park. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Aston Villa
    • Newcastle United
    • FT And there is the final whistle - another good day for Villa but Newcastle's terrible run continues. Thanks for you joining us and for all the emails - sorry I couldn't publish them all. Enjoy the 15.00 kick-offs.
    • 90+1 "One Kevin Keegan" is the chant but it is the home fans singing it. Meanwhile - Carson has just made a great save by Emre - nothing going Newcastle's way.
    • 90 AND CAREW BURIES THE PENALTY - 4-1 what a change!!!
    • 89' AND NOW VILLA HAVE PENALTY - Carr handles the ball under pressure from Carew and the big Norweigan now has a chance for a hat-trick.
    • 87' Carew and Harewood play a little one-two but a sliding tackle comes in from Cacapa to deny the former pulling the trigger.
    • 84' Newcastle really offering nothing here - no sign of the "sexy" football of Keegan's first reign - this match is heading towards an inevitable conclusion.
    • 80' Harewood again is just too powerful for Cacapa who has had a bit of a shocker in the second-half, and then fires a shot from 30 yards. It goes wide - not a bad effort but he might have been better looking for a pass.
    • 78 Reo-Coker in the book for some handbags.
    • 77' Great defending from little Shaun Maloney as he slides in to take the ball from Milner who had stormed into the area.
    • 76' Edward of the grammar police rightly points out that I should have said "We Irish are clever" as opposed to "Us Irish…" So it proves we are not that clever after all! Good spot Ed! A gold star for you.
    • 74' Emre on for Barton but still no sign of Viduka.
    • 72' But now Villa are further in front - moments after Harper made ANOTHER great save from Gardener, Newcastle make a meal of defending another Villa corner and the ball just pops up to Carew six yards out who heads it in for his second. Two goals and a World Wheelchair Curling gold. A good day for Norwegian John Carew.
    • 70' Marlon Harewood has really made a difference for Villa. He is popping up everywhere and has just won a corner. From the corner the other sub Craig Gardner gets in a super volley that Harper has to get down well to save.
    • 68' Dion Twins from the Netherlands mails. I'm not sure if Twins is a surname or if they are a set of Twins called Dion. Either/or it is a frustrated Newcastle fan: "I always wonder if Newcastle United can hold on when they are a goal up? Recruiting some of the defenders Big Sam bought was a big mistake because none of them has what it takes to defend."
    • 66' Any Norwegian Toon fans out there? I have some news to cheer you up. Here in the Eurosport office we get all sorts of press releases and I'm happy to inform you that your boys have today won the World Wheelchair Curling Championship. Maybe John Carew heard the news at half-time and it inspired him to get that goal?
    • 65' Harwood backs into his man just at the touchline and then manages to turn an get a sneaky shot away - Harper is there to save though.
    • 63' Newcastle just had a free in a decent area but it ends in a Villa counter attack - however Harewood can't play in Carew with a header. Still Villa seem to have much more of a presence up front in this half. Good substitutions by O'Neill at the break. Us Irish are clever you see?
    • 61' For you egg chasing fans today's rugby is now underway - we have LIVE comments on all Six Nations games so open up a new window and join Terence for Wales v Scotland comments. This Irishman is expecting to be drowning his sorrows this evening when he leaves work. Beating the French in Paris? No chance! Looks like you Newcastle fans might have to do the same - no sign of an equaliser at the moment.
    • 57' A couple of heavy challenges coming in now - Harewood escaped with one but Butt has been booked. Meanwhile, Carew was also booked for over celebrating his goal.
    • 55' And Harper's first act is nearly to pick the ball out of the net as Carew flicks on Maloney's cross but it goes just wide.
    • 54' More bad news for Newcastle - Shay Given is off injured - he has a groin strain - it looks like it might have come when he was wrong-footed for the first goal. Harper comes on.
    • 53' Milner almost gets in after a mistake from Laursen but the big centre-half gets back to block the winger's shot.
    • 52' Newcastle look shell-shocked, the Villa fans have come alive and this match is ALL CHANGED.
    • 51' IT HAS ALL GONE WRONG FOR NEWCASTLE - Another goal for Villa and surprise, surprise it is from a set piece - A Young corner and Carew flicks a header that goes in at the back post. Damien Duff was on the post but he couldn't head it clear.
    • 48' AND VILLA ARE LEVEL - Bouma with his first goal for Villa - a tame enough low shot from 25 yards out but Given seemed to slip or maybe he had the sun in his eyes but the ball trickles in at his near post. It might have taken a slight deflection off Beye but Given should have stopped that.
    • 46' Ok we are back underway and Villa have made two interesting changes: Harewood and Gardner on for Mellberg and Petrov.
    • - Last thoughts for now from a cold and pessimistic Shane Withanage: "Hello there from a freezing cold Czech Republic. As a Newcastle supporter I'm very happy to go in at half time with a 1-0 lead, but quite surprised to be fair. Villa are a top side and I predict they will be more attacking in the 2nd half and will win 2-1!" Keep the faith Shane!
    • - More proof that Global Warming has seen the world gone gag-gag comes from Greg whose tell us it is very wet in Australia where it is meant to be summer. He says: "Good to see my idol Michael Owen score first. Wait until DUKES {Mark Viduka} comes in to hopefully partner him, they play well together!!" What is it with you Aussies and nicknames?
    • - Carl promises us it is sunny in Geordieland - surely a first? That's Global Warming for you. He says: "Owen has looked unusually lively today, maybe playing for his international career, shame he can't do it more often for the Toon alone, not to mention his massive £100,000 per week wages." Well it seems he either does it for England or his club but never both!
    • - Wiktor Czernis ask my whether I think Afonso Alves could score on his debut today. I certainly hope so Wiktor I've picked him on my Fantasy team and need a good performance this week after slipping from first to fifth in the Eurosport league in recent weeks. That pesky Early Doors man Alex Chick currently leads!
    • HT But they survive as there is the half-time whistle. It is so far, so good for Newcastle: Fell free to email in your thoughts, opinions, predictions, gambling tips, personal problems, unprovoked rants, ANYTHING at half-time, and we'll publish the more interesting ones! sfay@eurosport.com is the address.
    • 44' Villa pressing hard these last five minutes or so - Newcastle starting to looking a little shaky as half-time approaches.
    • 42' The sun is not shining everywhere, Carl and Nikki are following the game from "snowy Japan" and write: "We're a bit surprised by O'Neill's team selection as it would of been nice to see Routledge and Harewood given an outing and a bit more of an attacking set up against an unconfident Geordie outfit. Just hope we come back and get the three points and push on for Europe".
    • 41' GREAT SAVE BY GIVEN - Again from a set piece - Young whips in another good cross and Carew just bounces clear of Taylor he gets his head on it but Given reacts quickly to push it away.
    • 38' Beye clips Young on the left of the box and Villa love having frees from such areas. Young whips in a good free but Given does well to come out and punch clear.
    • 37' Lovely little passage of Newcastle pass ends with a very good cross in from the left by Damien Duff but there is nobody on the end of it.
    • 33' A cross comes all the way to Mellberg at the back post after a Carew flick on - he tries to side-foot it home with his left foot and it hits off Milner and loops over for a corner. From that set-play Laursen gets his head on the ball but can only put it wide under pressure from Cacapa.
    • 31' We have had a little spell of both sides giving the ball away cheaply - the home fans are starting to get a little frustrated.
    • 28' A clearance falls to Barry just outside the box - he tries too hard to position his body so he can volley it on his left foot and the shot is mis-hit and goes well wide.
    • 27' Villa win a free-kick just a few yards outside of the area - Maloney curls it up over the wall and the shot goes just over the bar. Decent effort but Given probably had it covered.
    • 25' Weather update: Nice and sunny in Birmingham for the game, as it is here in the Eurosport offices in London, meanwhile for real quality weather Okey Uzoma tell us we should join him in Nigeria. He emails: "It is a wonderful afternoon today here in Nigeria, I am a Chelsea fan but I have always respected Aston Villa due to the recent record against Chelsea. I don’t see Newcastle taking any point away from them in this match."
    • 24' Ashley Young picked up a bit of knock after that challenge but he should be able to run it off.
    • 22' Ashley Young skips past two players on the left to move into the box before Joey Barton just stands his ground causing the winger to fall flat on his face.
    • 20' Developing into an interesting game this - Villa are dominating possession but with just big John Carew up there on his own they look a little limited. You feel Newcastle are capable of scoring on the break too - next goal is key.
    • 17' A decent low drive from Barton just outside the box - Carson though gets down well to save.
    • 16' Villa need to get the ball to Ashley Young more - just before the penalty appeal he burst down the left and put in a decent cut-back that Taylor had to be alert to clear. He is the one player on the Villa team that looks to have that X-factor to open up a game.
    • 14' Big screams from the Villa fans for a penalty - Gareth Barry with a great half-volley from just outside the box and it seemed to be blocked by the arm of Joey Barton - the referee waves it away.
    • 12' The problem with playing Stephen Carr left-back? HE HAS NO LEFT FOOT. Duff has just played him down the left but Carr produces a shocking cross that zooms straight into the Holte End.
    • 11' Geordieland goes well past Durham Jan from Rome emails: "Looking at the Newcastle players, at the fanbase behind this team, at its history it's quite shocking to see the Toon so low in the Premier League standings. The game against Middlesborough should have been an easy win, let's hope Villa will be our first win under Keegan. We're aiming for a UEFA Cup spot at least."
    • 9' Villa now having a little spell in the Newcastle final third but Shay Given hasn't had to get his kit dirty yet.
    • 7' Just before the goal went in Alex emailed: "The Chronicle (Newcastle paper) reported yesterday that today IS going to be the day Newcastle start winning, I personally think the only chance they have is for them to score a quick goal and pass it around for the rest of the match, because Aston Villa are too good." - Well now they have that goal can they finish the job?
    • 5' GOAL NEWCASTLE - MICHAEL OWEN!! A bit like his goal against Middlesbrough last week - he nips in at the near post to head home a great cross from Milner - the ball seemed to go in off Barry too but the Toon won't care.
    • 3' First chance of the match falls to Villa - Shaun Maloney out-muscles Cacapa after the centre-half makes a hash of a clearance - he then plays it across to Petrov but the Bulgarian makes a hash of the shot and it goes wide.
    • 2' One little change from the teams listed at the start - Carr is playing at left-back with Beye on the right.
    • 1' And Newcastle - attacking the Holte End - have just got us underway.
    • - But don't fear Newcastle fans - you have won at Villa Park in the Premier League more often than at any other stadium away from St James' Park.
    • - Looks like another big crowd in Villa Park today which is great to see - in recent seasons they haven't always been filling the ground but the feel good factor is back in the second city.
    • - Expectations are high amongst Villa fans these days. Patrick who has been a fan of "Aussie Villa" since the days of Mark Bosnich says: "This is a must win game for us. Anything worse than 5th in the league and it's a wasted season."
    • - Proving the Premier League is an international love - Nolbert Muhumuza is the first to email in all the way from Uganda, he predicts more bad news for Toon fans: "I personally think Newcastle will have to wait for their win. Aston Villa are really strong at home. Michael Owen will want to prove something after being overlooked in midweek by Fabio but that won't be enough motivation for Keegan's first win!!!"
    • - Find the team news below - No Agbonlahor for Villa of course but Ashley Young is back from suspension though and Curtis Davies is also fit. For Newcastle Habib Beye gets the nod at left-back and Alan Smith is preferred to Mark Viduka who is on the bench.
    • - So do you think this is the day that Newcastle finally get going? And have Villa got enough strength to make it into the Champions League. Feel free to email me your thoughts throughout the game to: sfay@eurosport.com
    • - So is this the day that the Kevin Keegan revolution finally begins? It is a tough one, Villa are pretty strong at home, kick-off here is at 12.45.

  • Team Stats

    Aston Villa Stats Newcastle United
    43% Possession 56%
    18 Shots 6
    7 Shots on target 3
    1 Saves 2
    7 Corners 5
    11 Fouls 21
    2 Offsides 0
    2 Yellow cards 1
    0 Red cards 0
    17 Tackles 20
    195 Accurate passes 256
    57 Bad passes 69

  • Player Stats

    G =
    Goals
    S =
    Shots
    SoT =
    Shot on Target
    F =
    Fouls
    FW =
    Fouls Won
    O =
    Offsides
    A =
    Assists
    AP =
    Accurate Passes
    BP =
    Bad Passes
    T =
    Tackles
    • Aston Villa
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      22 Scott Carson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 3 0
      5 Martin Laursen 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 18 5 0
      3 Wilfred Bouma 1 2 1 2 2 0 0 14 11 2
      4 Olof Mellberg 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 12 0 1
      15 Curtis Davies 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 2 5
      19 Stilian Petrov 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 10 1 1
      20 Nigel Reo-Coker 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 24 6 2
      6 Gareth Barry 0 3 0 1 1 0 0 29 10 0
      10 John Carew 3 5 4 4 1 1 0 17 5 0
      28 Shaun Maloney 0 2 0 3 1 1 1 13 5 3
      7 Ashley Young 0 0 0 3 3 0 1 11 8 1
      16 Zatyiah Knight 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      13 Stuart Taylor 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      9 Marlon Harewood 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 9 1 1
      27 Isaiah Osbourne 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      26 Craig Gardner 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 7 0 1
    • Newcastle United
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      1 Shay Given 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 2 0
      27 Steven Taylor 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 15 0 2
      21 Habib Beye 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 18 1 3
      2 Stephen Carr 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 44 22 2
      6 Claudio Caçapa 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 23 3 0
      7 Joey Barton 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 19 7 2
      22 Nicky Butt 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 24 3 7
      16 James Milner 0 1 0 1 3 0 1 17 5 2
      11 Damien Duff 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 33 15 1
      17 Alan Smith 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 22 4 0
      10 Michael Owen 1 2 1 1 6 0 0 17 2 1
      13 Steve Harper 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0
      5 Belozoglu Emre 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 16 4 0
      3 José Enrique Sanchez Diaz 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      36 Mark Viduka 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      25 Abdoulaye Faye 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

  • Summary

    • 90 AND CAREW BURIES THE PENALTY - 4-1 what a change!!!
    • 72' But now Villa are further in front - moments after Harper made ANOTHER great save from Gardener, Newcastle make a meal of defending another Villa corner and the ball just pops up to Carew six yards out who heads it in for his second. Two goals and a World Wheelchair Curling gold. A good day for Norwegian John Carew.
    • 55' And Harper's first act is nearly to pick the ball out of the net as Carew flicks on Maloney's cross but it goes just wide.
    • 51' IT HAS ALL GONE WRONG FOR NEWCASTLE - Another goal for Villa and surprise, surprise it is from a set piece - A Young corner and Carew flicks a header that goes in at the back post. Damien Duff was on the post but he couldn't head it clear.
    • 48' AND VILLA ARE LEVEL - Bouma with his first goal for Villa - a tame enough low shot from 25 yards out but Given seemed to slip or maybe he had the sun in his eyes but the ball trickles in at his near post. It might have taken a slight deflection off Beye but Given should have stopped that.
    • 41' GREAT SAVE BY GIVEN - Again from a set piece - Young whips in another good cross and Carew just bounces clear of Taylor he gets his head on it but Given reacts quickly to push it away.
    • 14' Big screams from the Villa fans for a penalty - Gareth Barry with a great half-volley from just outside the box and it seemed to be blocked by the arm of Joey Barton - the referee waves it away.
    • 5' GOAL NEWCASTLE - MICHAEL OWEN!! A bit like his goal against Middlesbrough last week - he nips in at the near post to head home a great cross from Milner - the ball seemed to go in off Barry too but the Toon won't care.
    • - So do you think this is the day that Newcastle finally get going? And have Villa got enough strength to make it into the Champions League. Feel free to email me your thoughts throughout the game to: sfay@eurosport.com

Live Team Line-Up

  • Referee: Lee Mason

  • Aston Villa

    Manager: Martin O'Neill

    Captain: Gareth Barry

    On the Field

    • Carson
    • Mellberg Substitution Out (46′)
    • Davies
    • Laursen
    • Bouma Goal
    • Reo-Coker Yellow Card
    • Petrov Substitution Out (46′)
    • Barry
    • Maloney
    • Young Substitution Out (90′)
    • Carew Goals×2 Yellow Card

    Subs

    • Taylor
    • Harewood Substitution In (46′)
    • Knight
    • Gardner Substitution In (46′)
    • Osbourne Substitution In (90′)

    Injured

    • Agbonlahor

    Suspended

    None

  • Newcastle United

    Manager: Kevin Keegan

    Captain: Shay Given

    On the Field

    • Given Substitution Out (54′)
    • Beye
    • Taylor
    • Caçapa
    • Carr
    • Milner
    • Barton Substitution Out (74′)
    • Butt Yellow Card
    • Duff
    • Owen Goal
    • Smith

    Subs

    • Emre Substitution In (74′)
    • Viduka
    • Harper Substitution In (54′)
    • Diagne-Faye
    • Enrique

    Injured

    • Ramage

    Suspended

    • N'Zogbia