The 4orce was with us yesterday! Our fourth home win of the season, another goal from Bacuna to add to those he has netted in each of our previous home victories and a game changing brace of goals in 2 minutes from Benteke gave us another 4-goal comeback win at Villa Park this season!

We started the game very poorly and it inevitably had to be Hoo that opened the scoring and threatened to make this another very disappointing home performance. But Christian Benteke turned this game on its head with two goals to take his tally to nine league goals this season and it is his goals that for a second successive season seem likely to keep us up.

This was a vital win. It has taken us 7 points clear of the relegation places and 3 points clear of yesterday’s opponents. This 6-pointer gave us the double over Norwich and plunged their former Small Heath manager back under unwarranted boardroom pressure.

The goals had dried up before yesterday in much the same way as had our ability to gather points away from home to make up for our inability to win games at Villa Park. But 4 goals in 15 first half minutes cancelled out Norwich’s opener which Hoolahan who did so much in his first start in 2 months to show why Lambert wanted him in January chose not to celebrate in front of the Holte End and allowed us to coast the second half with a three goal cushion.

My player ratings from a game that has left us in 11^th and sitting top of the bottom half are:

Brad Guzan – 6 – Denied Hoolahan a second on 35 minutes. Our transfer window target had played a nice one two with Hooper before pulling the trigger and Brad saved well with his legs before Delph did very well to block his subsequent effort from the rebound. Also denied Hooper a late consolation goal when he stretched out an arm to keep out his side footed effort on 85 minutes.

Leandro Bacuna – 7 – Hit our third on 37 minutes when we swiftly moved the ball from defence to attack. El Ahmadi picked the ball up on the edge of our area found Gabby on the edge of the centre circle who ran with it before switching it to Weimann who in turn played the ball wide to Leo who curled a sweet shot past the keeper and into the corner of the net.

Ron Vlaar – 7 – Another accomplished defensive display.

Nathan Baker – 6 – Nathan was solid enough alongside Ron yesterday.

Ryan Bertrand – 7 – Played the ball to Delph in the build up to our fourth and looks a player we really need to sign.

Karim El Ahmadi - 5 – Had a dreadful start to the game but improved as the ball began to find its way into the opponent’s net on a regular basis.

Fabian Delph - 6 – Did his bit.

Ashley Westwood – 7 – Our best midfield performer yesterday.

Gabriel Agbonlahor – 6 – In close attention and applying pressure on Bassong when he turned the ball in for our fourth on 41 minutes after Delph had made a good run into the box and hit a cross that was intended for him. Pulled a shot wide of the post on 45 minutes having been found by Bertrand, failed to get power on his 50^th minute header which was directed straight at Ruddy and had a shot canon off Martin’s arm inside the box on 82 minutes.

Andreas Weimann – 6 – Covered an awful lot of ground yesterday. Turned inside the box on 5 minutes following a Benteke header onwards but his shot did not trouble Ruddy.

Christian Benteke – 9 – MOTM – Hit a sensational equalizer on 25 minutes. Vlaar played the ball to Christian who chested it down before hitting the ball over his shoulder on the volley past both Yobo and Ruddy into the back of the net. That was the sort of instinctive finish that makes him worth his weight in gold to us and 2 minutes later he added a second. His second was a return to striker he had proved himself to be last season. Nobody else was going to get on the end of Westwood’s 27^th minute corner. He used all of his strength to muscle clear of Bassong and apply a decisive header that flew into the net to turn the game around. Took the game by the scruff of the neck and won it for us!

Substitutes:

Marc Albrighton – Replaced Weimann on 81 minutes. Marc was not given long enough to earn a rating.

Grant Holt – Replaced Benteke on 82 minutes and was not on long enough to merit a rating.

Stay up the Villa!

John Lewis

Source: Player Match Ratings: Cooking with Delia - Roast Canaries!