Tim Sherwood enjoys first Aston Villa win with penalty against West Brom

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/mar/03/aston-villa-west-brom-premier-league-match-report

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Tim Sherwood clenched his fists, looked to the heavens and started to dance around on the pitch in celebration. It was the last of three minutes of injury time and Christian Benteke, the coolest man in the stadium, had just nonchalantly rolled in the goal that breathes fresh life into Aston Villa’s season.

It was a night of high drama at Villa Park and nobody enjoyed the closing seconds more than Sherwood. He walked off the pitch with a couple of fingers on his neck, pretending to check his pulse in a gesture that he later explained was aimed at those who have already condemned Villa to the Championship. “We’re alive and kicking,” Sherwood said.

In the context of what has gone before, it was easy to forgive Sherwood for getting swept along with the euphoria that greeted the final whistle. Villa, after all, had come into this game on the back of a dismal run of 12 league games without a win, seven successive defeats and scored only 13 goals all season.

A win over their local rivals was the shot in the arm they so badly needed and lifts Villa out of the Premier League relegation zone in the process.

As well as Sherwood’s side played at times, especially in the first half when the outstanding Gabriel Agbonlahor put them in front and gave Joleon Lescott a torrid time, good fortune was also smiling on them.

While Ben Foster endured an evening to forget and was guilty of giving away the penalty that Benteke converted, Alan Hutton could count himself extremely fortunate to escape with only a booking for a malicious challenge on Saido Berahino.

Jonathan Moss, the referee, will need no telling when he reviews the incident that a red card should have been brandished after Hutton, competing for the ball on the touchline, thrust his studs into Berahino’s groin. It was not just the initial contact but the fact that Hutton then put more pressure on his boot.

To rub salt into Albion wounds, the Villa right-back went on to have a hand in the winning goal when he delivered the cross that led to Foster getting in a terrible tangle. Failing to cleanly gather the ball, after receiving an accidental nudge in the back from Chris Baird, the Albion substitute, Foster tried to retrieve the situation but succeeded only in bringing down Matthew Lowton.

It was that sort of game for the England international who also made a dreadful error in the first half when he allowed Agbonlahor’s low left-footed shot to slip between his legs.

In a state of panic, Foster quickly turned around and stretched out his right arm to drag the ball back, with goalline technology confirming that the whole of the ball had not crossed the line.

Albion and Foster were not so fortunate eight minutes later. Brad Guzan’s punt upfield was no more than hopeful but Benteke climbed above Chris Brunt to flick the ball on. Gambling on his strike partner winning the header, Agbonlahor sprinted in behind Lescott and drilled a low shot under Foster. Not a man to conceal his emotions Sherwood sprinted 45 yards down the touchline, pumping his arms like crazy.

The only disappointment for Villa come the interval was that they had only one goal to show for their dominance. Agbonlahor, playing like a man possessed, ran on to another ball over the top, this time from Ashley Westwood, and slipped his shot past Foster only for Lescott to get back and clear. Then, on the stroke of half-time, Fabian Delph curled a right-footed effort from the edge of the area that struck the foot of the far upright.

It was strange to see Albion look so disjointed in that opening period but the complexion of the game changed after the interval. Craig Dawson headed narrowly over the bar from a Brunt free-kick not long before another set piece produced the equaliser.

This time it was a Brunt corner that Lescott headed back across goal for the unmarked Berahino to nod home his 18th goal of the season.

At that point it was easy to question how a Villa side with such brittle confidence would react but Sherwood kept urging them to pass the ball and their reward came in that extraordinary finale.

Now both teams have to do it all over again in the FA Cup quarter-final at Villa Park on Saturday evening. “West Brom will have to improve to stop us getting to Wembley,” Sherwood said.