Aston Villa lead Manchester City 1-0 after a goal from £24M man Darren Bent on his debut. After a promising opening spell from a surprisingly attacking Aston Villa lineup (a central midfield pairing of Stiliyan Petrov and Stewart Downing does not inspire confidence), City had seemingly recovered with a slew of close chances on Brad Friedel’s goal.
Aston Villa Vs. Manchester City: Darren Bent Scores on His Debut
However, Villa built down the left flank, and when Gabby Agbonlahor fed Ashley Young on the left side, Bent instinctively drifted towards the centre of Joe Hart’s penalty box. Young burst forward into the area, unleashed a low effort towards the far post, and saw Joe Hart make a sprawling save. However, crucially, there was now a claret shirt in close attendance when in previous matches there had been none, and Bent guided the bobbling ball expertly into the back of the net.
Villa fans – and many pundits – have questioned the judgment of spending such a vast sum of money on a one-dimensional player, but Bent brings something to the club that they simply did not have before. His poacher’s instincts have seen Gerard Houllier’s side go 1-0 up against Roberto Mancini’s City, and if he keeps this up he’ll prove well worth the money for the midlands side.
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