Aston Villa will feel aggrieved that they had a man unjustifiably sent off in their local derby match against West Bromwich Albion, but they only have themselves to blame for the poor set piece defending that ultimately gave the Baggies a massive 2-1 win. That's not to excuse referee Philip Dowd, who made a shocking decision to send off Chris Hurd in the 35th minute, but the Villans could have easily held on for a point if they could have just cleared their lines on corners.
Aston Villa Vs. West Bromwich Albion, 2011 Premier League: Full Time, Baggies Steal Three Points In Derby
Villa appeared to be in good position to get a win early, when Gabriel Agbonlahor won a penalty in the 23rd minute, drawing a foul from West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster. Darren Bent stepped up and converted, giving his side a 1-0 lead.
The game changed when Hurd was sent off for an alleged stomp in the box that was neither intentional, nor a stomp in the 35th minute, but Chris Brunt badly missed a penalty to his left, completely missing the goal. Brunt would redeem himself, however, sending a brilliant corner kick into the box in the 45th minute. Jonas Olsson got his head to the ball and powered it into the back of the net, leveling the match at 1-1 before halftime.
WBA's ultimate winner came on another corner in the 57th minute, and Villa's marking was shocking. However, that's not to take anything away from the goal scorer, Paul Scharner, who hit an absolutely brilliant finish on a volley from close range.
Both teams had their opportunities at the end as the final five minutes was a seriously up and down affair, but Villa couldn’t find an equalizer and Peter Odemwingie hilariously whiffed on a golden opportunity at the other end. 2-1 was the final score, and Roy Hodgson will go home a very happy man.
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