Analysis: Aston Villa and Steven Gerrard rue missed chances again as top half hopes fade
For a long time it appeared the biggest cheer of the afternoon at Villa Park had occurred before kick-off.
Only when Ollie Watkins broke the deadlock for the hosts 69 minutes in was the roar which greeted the pre-match arrival of Villa’s European Cup winning squad surpassed.
Even then, Jeffrey Schlupp’s equaliser for Crystal Palace ensured a day on which the club celebrated the heroes of its finest hour ended with a definite air of anti-climax.
Watkins had the opportunity to deliver the perfect finish, when presented in stoppage time with the kind of chance Peter Withe, match-winner in Rotterdam 40 years ago who had sent decibel levels soaring when he approached the Holte End at five to two, would have relished.
But sent clean through on goal by Emi Buendia, the striker dragged his finish wide. Not for the first time this season, or this past week, boss Steven Gerrard was left bemoaning a lack of killer instinct at a critical moment.
Danny Ings had earlier been guilty of missing two good chances, first volleying over 12 yards out and then, more egregiously, failing to hit the target from the edge of the box having done most of the hard work in making space for the shot. It capped a rough few days for the 29-year-old, who also squandered a hat-trick of opportunities to get his name on the scoresheet in Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat to Liverpool.
Watkins’ bullying of Marc Guehi for his goal was a fine demonstration of his qualities but his late miss could hardly be described as an isolated incident. Last month’s defeats to Wolves and Tottenham are just two matches where golden chances have gone begging and while yesterday’s strike took his tally to the season for 11 (and six in his last 12 appearances), the sense is the total should be at least three or four goals higher.
Gerrard has recently made clear both strikers remain a key part of his future plans and there is no doubt their on-field chemistry has developed impressively in recent months. There are times, however, when it feels fair to question whether either are quite of the standard required for Villa to become serious challengers for European football? Unfair as it is, strikers will always be judged by goals and in a division where many matches are decided by fine margins, profligacy has frequently cost Gerrard’s team dear.
It is one of the primary reasons they are now likely to miss out on a top half finish. The chance has not entirely gone but it will require Villa to beat Burnley on Thursday and then get something at Manchester City on Sunday, in a match the hosts will probably need to win to claim the title. Even should they pull off the shock, it will still require results elsewhere to go their way if they are to jump into the top-10.
Pride isn’t the only thing at stake. With each position in the table worth more than £2million in prize money Villa, who sat 15th before the visit of Norwich on April 30, could have paid off the bulk of Philippe Coutinho’s transfer fee over the campaign’s final three weeks should they find a route to 10th.
The latter was again quiet in his first outing since a permanent move from Barcelona was confirmed.
Instead it was Lucas Digne, another January arrival, who was Villa’s star man. Barely a month ago the France international’s season appeared to be over when he required surgery on a collarbone fractured in the defeat to Tottenham. The impressive speed of his return has only been eclipsed by his form and for the third match running his delivery from the left wing produced a goal, Watkins beating Guehi at the far post to turn the ball home.
To that point Villa had found the going tough against a Palace team who struggled to create chances but dictated much of the game’s tempo. Schlupp’s leveller, from Guehi’s knockdown after the hosts had failed to properly clear a free-kick, did not feel undeserved in that respect albeit Villa finished the stronger, Digne bringing a flying save from Jack Butland with a long-range effort before Watkins’ late miss.
The afternoon’s other notable incident was a worrying injury to Ezri Konsa, the defender forced off early in the second half when his right leg became trapped under a falling Jean-Philippe Mateta. Konsa’s cry as he immediately clutched his right knee could be heard from the stands and though he was eventually able to walk off with the help of the club doctor, Villa now face an anxious wait to discover the extent of the problem.
At the very least it appears unlikely the 24-year-old will feature again this season, with Calum Chambers primed for a return to the starting line-up against Burnley.
The Clarets will arrive at Villa Park back in the relegation zone after Leeds’ draw against Brighton yesterday but while their need for points is clearly greater, Thursday also represents the final chance for Gerrard’s team to give home supporters something to cheer. Villa have won just six of 18 matches on their own patch this season, with just four of those victories coming since Gerrard’s appointment in November.
