After a drab, dull, dreary, despicable first half, one that was too boring to even contemplate writing about, the goals flew thick and fast in the second half. After nine meetings in the last eighteen months, Aston Villa finally found a way through in the Premier League, where they'd lost the last three meetings, despite triumphing in cup play. Two goals by Ashley Young, supplemented by an own goal by Grant Hanley and a shot by Stewart Downing. Blackburn found a consolation goal through Nikola Kalinić, but that's about all they could do.
Aston Villa Vs. Blackburn Rovers: 4-1 Win For Villa After Scoreless First Half
Rovers came to Villa Park clearly seeking a draw, and for the first half, their strategy of hunkering down and defending seemed as though it would work, with any Villa player finding a way through only saw their shot saved by Paul Robinson. But the visitors came undone in the 49th minute, when Keith Andrews hauled down Ashley Young at the edge of the area. Referee Martin Atkinson showed no hesitation in pointing to the spot, and the Villa captain converted cooly, sending his powerful shot left of Robinson.
For the next ten minutes visitors looked as though they might manage to grab an equalizer, finally coming out of their shell and getting forward. With Villa's propensity to concede the lead after getting the first goal, Rovers likely thought an equalizer was inevitable. Instead, the home team grabbed a second after four consecutive corners, chipping away at the Blackburn defense. Marc Albrighton sent a shot into the scramble in front of goal, where it ricocheted off fellow Villan Ciaran Clark. Grant Hanley stuck out a leg and rather than deflect the ball out of play, the 19-year-old diverted it into his own net.
Stewart Downing, however, wasn't prepared to let own-goal have the last word, and just two minutes after Hanley put the ball in the wrong net, put Villa up 3-0. Ashley Young sent the ball to Downing, charging up the right side, before being hacked down by Ryan Nelsen. Atkinson played the advantage and Downing kept going, cutting inside and sending the ball in off his favored foot to give Villa a comfortable lead.
Good thing, too, as Rovers found their goal with less than ten minutes left to play. Nikola Kalinić sent in a pretty, long-range effort, which took an unfortunate deflection off Richard Dunne. The ball took a looping path in, leaving Brad Friedel with nothing he could do.
This goal only served to rile up the Villa, and Ashley Young scored just a minute later. Again, it was Downing breaking up the right that made the goal possible. When he cut inside, two Blackburn defenders came out to meet him, leaving Young in a pocket of space. Downing sent the ball in, Young pounced and put the ball in the back of the net for his second of the match.
The 4-1 victory for Aston Villa is the first time the club have scored more than three in a match this season. The result moves Villa ahead of Blackburn, up to 12 in the table, even on points with Everton and Stoke City. Rovers go down to 13 with 32 points, four above the drop.
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