With Manchester City due at Villa Park on Wednesday, Martin O’Neill’s team had a golden opportunity to bank six points and climb the table. Already it is a chance wasted and the Villa manager said afterwards: “We played some delightful football but lacked a cutting edge.
“Generally, that’s what is wrong with our game, and we’ll be striving in the January (transfer) window to improve the team. We need to strengthen and the new owner wants us to do that.” Randy Lerner, the man in question, will meet O’Neill on Wednesday to discuss potential reinforcements.
Undistinguished for a long time, the standard and entertainment value improved in the second half, but all the action that mattered came just before the interval, when Boro took the lead against the run of play through Malcolm Christie, who was a yard offside. Rough justice arrived almost immediately when Villa equalised with a contentious penalty, tucked away by Gareth Barry, the man of the match, after Stilian Petrov had taken an exaggerated tumble over Mark Schwarzer.
It is interesting to note that Villa have been awarded eight penalties already this season, five of them successfully converted.
Christie’s goal should have been disallowed, but it would be a hard man who begrudged a player who has had his career all but wrecked by two broken legs and a broken foot. This erstwhile shelf-stacker has spent too long on it, and was making his first start for 21 months. He is due any good fortune that comes his way.
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Both teams seek defensive security in numbers, although their dispositions differed.
Villa play with Gavin McCann in what has become known as the “Makelele Role”, in front of the back four, and with Juan Pablo Angel as a lone striker, ahead of a midfield that features Gabby Agbonlahor on the right, rather than up front.
Boro, meanwhile, prefer the wing-back system, which is fine in theory, but it often becomes five at the back. Their right wing-back was Abel Xavier, the Portuguese defender making his return to the Premiership after a year out of the game for failing a drugs test.
As befits a form team, playing at home, Villa were always the better, more assertive side. The first save of a real slow-burner came midway through the first half, when McCann supplied Mellberg, whose cross from the right found its way via Angel to Isaiah Osbourne. The midfielder’s header demanded Schwarzer’s full attention.
With Middlesbrough preoccupied with defence, their first semblance of a chance was delayed until the 28th minute, when Andrew Taylor’s cross from the left was headed well wide of the far post by Yakubu. Wilfred Bouma provided a welcome opportunity to warm the hands with a thunderous shot from 30 yards which had Schwarzer going low to his right to save, then Barry centred from the left and Gary Cahill was off target with a backheel barely two yards out.
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The visitors burgled the lead after 43 minutes with their first attack of any real consequence when Yakubu and Arca worked the ball to Christie, who was a yard offside when he scored from the edge of the six-yard box. Equality was quickly restored when Petrov, advancing in the inside-left channel, tumbled over Schwarzer’s legitimate attempt to claim the ball and was rewarded for his gymnastics with a penalty.
Gareth Southgate, the Boro manager, said: “I’ve no complaints with the referee, because Mark admitted he caught him, but Petrov was on the way down before he caught him.”
Boro played with a bit more belief in the second half, and might have gone ahead again when Morrison set up Yakubu, whose shot from a promising central position was straight at the keeper. They did have the ball in the net again after 57 minutes, but Pogatetz had climbed all over Sorensen as he jumped to collect Morrison’s lofted free kick, and the goal had to be disallowed.
Injured in the collision, the Villa keeper gave way to Stuart Taylor after 70 minutes. Back came Villa, and Agbonlahor should have done better than head Barry’s left-wing cross straight into the ground. The England Under-21 striker then tried to outrun Woodgate, but the man from Real Madrid remains a class act, and matched the pacey tyro stride for stride before shutting him out. It was all Villa again, and Mellberg was desperately close with a header just wide of Schwarzer’s left-hand upright.
Milan Baros, on for Angel, might have won it, but wasted another good cross from Barry by blasting wide from near the penalty spot. No prizes for guessing who O’Neill means when he complains about his “cutting edge”. Angel and Baros are looking dull, in more ways than one.
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Right at the death, Lee Cattermole headed inches wide, but a Boro win would have been a travesty.
Star Man: Gareth Barry (Villa)
Scorers: Aston Villa: Barry 45 pen Middlesbrough: Christie 43
Referee: P Walton
Attendance: 33,162
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Ratings: Villa: Sorensen 6 (Taylor 70min,5), Mellberg 7, Cahill 6, Ridgewell 6, Bouma 5, McCann 6, Agbonlahor 5, Petrov 6, Osbourne 5 (Davis 61min,5), Barry 8, Angel 5 (Baros 61min,5). Boro: Schwarzer 6, Woodgate 6, Huth 6, Pogatetz 6, Xavier 6, Morrison 6 (Cattermole 83min,5), Boateng 6, Arca 6, Taylor 6, Christie 6 (Maccarone 76min,5), Yakubu 6