The Carling Cup semi-final second leg game between Aston Villa and Blackburn Rovers at Villa Park on Wednesday Jan 20 2010.
There are worse ways to decide a semi-final than a goal fest, although Sam Allardyce’s heart surgeon might beg to differ.
In a contest that had more twists and turns than a Dan Brown thriller, Aston Villa reached their first final since 2000, and were rewarded with a euphoric pitch invasion at the final whistle.
Yet the 6-4 scoreline does not do justice to the drama, or the frayed nerves: Villa made it hard for themselves. With a one goal advantage from the first leg, it seemed as if Villa believed the Wembley gig was already theirs.
It was going to be harder than that. For 45 minutes they did little more than hang on against Blackburn Rovers, their grip on the final down to nothing more than a fingertip hold, thanks to two goals from Nikola Kalinic.
But strikes from Stephen Warnock, a Steven N’Zonzi own goal, Emile Heskey, Ashley Young, James Milner and Gabriel Agbonlahor ensured it would be Villa who contest the Carling Cup final on Sunday Feb 28.
Milner’s goal at Ewood Park last week meant that Blackburn had arrived knowing that they needed to be the aggressors, and that they did to the tee, over-running their opponents in midfield and spending the first 10 minutes occupying prime real estate in front of Brad Guzan’s goal.
David Dunn, sitting in the hole behind Kalinic, was always going to be a handful. His punchy shot in the sixth minute came to nothing, but his corner four minutes later was headed in, off the back of Warnock’s neck, and into the Villa goal in front of an aghast Holte End, by Kalinic.
Blackburn had the fires burning fiercely in their bellies, a situation which demanded that Villa snuff out the flames by depriving their opponents of the oxygen of possession. Instead they flapped, which everyone knows only makes fire burn brighter.
Thus it was that Morten Gamst Pedersen found the ball on the right and Martin Olsson was allowed to pop up in between Richard Dunne and James Collins and head the cross goalwards from six yards. Guzan produced a super, one-handed reflex stop, but Kalinic was lurking for the easiest goal he will score all season.
Desperate times for Villa, then, left needing two goals and with barely a sign of one to come. With Emile Heskey’s aerial impact neutralised by the gangly Steven Nzonzi, and Agbonlahor isolated, with only Christopher Samba, Blackburn’s 6ft 4in centre-back, for company, goals would need to come from elsewhere.
Warnock answered the distress call. When Ashley Young whipped a dangerous cross into the area, the ball eluded Ryan Nelson, Samba and Pascal Chimbonba, leaving Warnock free to strike the ball with gusto, at the far post. A discreet shove from Agbonlahor might account for Nelson’s apparent mistake, but Samba and Chimbonda should have done better.
The bit between their teeth, Villa pressed again. Heskey released Agbonlahor with a ball over the top, and as the striker prepared to pull the trigger Samba slid in from behind. Martin Atkinson went to his pocket for red, and James Milner converted from the spot, Villa Park suddenly rediscovered its voice with the timeless “We’re going to Wem-ber-ley.”
The noise redoubled when Dunne’s effort went in off Nzonzi for Villa’s third, and it had become a crescendo by the time Milner, ignoring Nelson’s foul on Heskey on the edge of the area, had drilled a long range effort which went in off Agbonlahor.
They were fairly falling out of their seats when Heskey latched onto a cute pass from Milner, and rounded Paul Robinson. Even Olsson’s scissor volley a minute later, and Emerton’s goal five minutes from time didn’t dampen the spirit.
And when Young rounded things off in time added on, and the referee blew the whistle, they flooded the pitch.
This was Villa’s biggest game in a decade. There is an even bigger one waiting next month. Here’s hoping it is as exhilarating as this.ca
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