There is a theory that the festive period produces more goals than usual but Aston Villa and Sunderland predictably reverted to type on an afternoon when the home team were forced to play with 10 men for the third time in four matches. Fabian Delph’s dismissal early in the second half, after a lunge on Jordi Gómez, handed the initiative to the visitors, but the closest a toothless Sunderland side came to a breakthrough was when the Spaniard hit a post in the 89th minute.
In truth it was a stalemate waiting to happen. Villa have now scored only 11 times in 19 league fixtures – a dismal tally – while Sunderland, who have drawn six of their last nine matches, also average less than a goal per game. No prizes for guessing what department of the pitch needs some fresh blood in the January transfer window.
While Gus Poyet departed frustrated that his Sunderland side had failed to make their numerical advantage count – Connor Wickham and Adam Johnson both had decent opportunities in the second half – Villa, for whom Carlos Sánchez once again impressed in central midfield, were not without their own chances, even after Delph was sent off.
That red card – Villa’s fourth of the season – woke everyone up after a soporific first half. Lunging for the ball following a short Sunderland throw-in, Delph planted his studs on the top of Gómez’s left foot. The initial reaction was that Delph was unfortunate to be dismissed by the referee, Martin Atkinson, and that a yellow card would have sufficed. However, television replays showed that Delph’s challenge, although reckless rather than malicious, did not look too clever.
Paul Lambert said that he would review the footage before deciding whether to appeal, although the Villa manager did not sound overly hopeful. “I never really saw it the first time. But I’ve seen it once on replay. It’s a hard one. Martin couldn’t have had a better position. I don’t think there was any malice in it, the same as the Kieran Richardson one [against West Bromwich]. But the modern-day game now, you probably don’t need to have much contact and that can happen.”
Poyet, who worked with Delph at Leeds, had some sympathy for the England international and suggested that the player’s “reputation” may not have helped. “It’s unlucky, I think,” said the Sunderland manager. “Saying that, if you see it tonight, stop the video and you see his studs on his ankle, if it’s another three inches, it could be a broken leg, so it was dangerous. Sometimes you get away with those tackles, and that’s the way that Fab plays. It’s good to change him, but he brings something extra to the pitch and sometimes that extra bit can get a red card.”
A bigger issue for Poyet was the disappointing way that Sunderland responded to Delph’s dismissal. Johnson shot tamely at Brad Guzan from 10 yards and Wickham was unable to force the ball home from six yards in the space of three minutes midway through the second half. That was as good as it got for Sunderland until Gómez arrowed a 20-yard drive against the woodwork. “I think we lost a great opportunity today, it’s disappointing not to take the three points, especially after the sending off,” said Poyet, who lost Liam Bridcutt to concussion and Sebastian Larsson to an ankle injury. “I think we tried too hard, we went a little bit crazy and lost the shape.”
Lambert, who joined Poyet in railing against the idea of playing two games in the space of three days, admitted that Villa needed to improve their disciplinary record, although the Scot insisted that it would be unfair for his players to pick up a reputation for being “a dirty team”.
To their credit, Villa continued to press for a winner with 10 men, but Costel Pantilimon kept out Ron Vlaar’s glancing header and also denied Leandro Bacuna, seconds after Gómez’s chance at the other end.
Man of the match: Carlos Sánchez (Aston Villa)
Aston Villa: (4-3-3) Guzan; Hutton, Vlaar, Clark (Okore, 61), Cissokho; Delph, Sánchez, Cleverley (Grealish 68); Weimann, Benteke, N’Zogbia (Bacuna 57)
Subs not used: Given, Herd, Lowton, Robinson. Booked: Vlaar Sent off: Delph
Sunderland: (4-1-4-1) Pantilimon; Vergini (Buckley, 78), O’Shea, Brown, Jones; Bridcutt (Cattermole, 19); Johnson, Larsson (Giaccherini, 57), Gomez, Wickham; Fletcher
Subs not used: Mannone, Altidore, Alvarez, Coates
Booked: Cattermole, Johnson, Giaccherini
Referee: Martin Atkinson Att: 35,436
