Our match report from Villa Park:
Anyway, I reckon that’s us. Have good nights all, and happy new year. Bye!
Pontus Jansson, who had a pretty decent game, says that he’d have taken a point before the game, and that was certainly how it looked from the way they started the game. But they looked a better side than Villa, especially once Pablo Hernandez came on, and must wonder how they’d have done if they’d gone for it from the start.
Villa, meanwhile, were much improved following the arrival of Adomah and Gestede. I can see why it’s tempting to keep them in reserve, the latter especially, but the team were so much better it must give Steve Bruce pause.
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Full-time: Aston Villa 1-1 Leeds United
So, there we go. Those last ten minutes were pretty good fun, the rest of the game not so much. Villa retain the only remaining unbeaten home record in the league, moving up one place into 9th; Leeds go above Huddersfield into 4th.
Updated
90+3 min Chester slides in as Sako dashes down the line, tipping the ball into touch and cleaning his man out for bonus points. Oddly, he’s booked.
90+1 min A scramble in the Villa box leads to a pair of desperate blocks, before Villa break through Kodjia, alone at inside-left. He veers inside and shoots, the ball flying just wide of the far post.
90 min There shall be four added minutes.
90 min “New York-based villa fan here,” says David Bertram. “Woeful. Surely middle of the road Premiership teams will be looking at Kodjia soon?”
And as I paste that, he breaks into the box after playing a one-two off Gestede and skirting Jansson on his inside. But the ball bounces up for him and he’s forced to shoot from an unnatural position, allowing Green to dive in front of him and take one on the chest.
As for Kodjia, he’ll be off if Villa don’t go up and perhaps even then. On the plus side, you can just go Luger’s and forget about it.
Updated
88 min Or can Leeds now get a winner? Amavi, the £25m pound man, has had a stinker tonight, and he dithers on the ball as it runs away from him, hoping to shield it and turn. But Sako chases him down, snaffles possession and breaks into the box - before Amavi, doing brilliantly to redeem himself, slides in to block the shot, which loops up, hits the bar and bounces clear.
Updated
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-1 Leeds United (Kodjia pen, 86)
That’s how to take pressure penalty, battered into the left of the net, two-thirds of the way up. Very well done, and can Villa now get a winner?
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85 min Here comes Kodjia...
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PENALTY TO VILLA!
83 min Why didn’t Villa try this earlier? They’re putting balls into the box and causing panic in the Leeds defence. And from once such cross, Gestede goes up, Cooper knocks it away from him with his hands, and Roger East does nothing! But his lino corrects him, Cooper is booked, and can Villa level things?
83 min Final change for Leeds, Vieira replacing Bridcutt.
80 min Adomah teases Berardi and whips a cross around him, looking for Gestede; Cooper does brilliantly to hurl himself at it and head behind. The corner is then punched clear by Green, but eventually the ball ends up with Adomah again, on the left this time, and he cross to the far post, forcing another desperate defensive header. This time, the corner is properly cleared.
78 min Double change for Villa: Gestede and Adomah replace Jedinak and Ayew. Poor Gaby Agbonlahor.
77 min Hernandez has made such a difference since he came on, and he pokes out a leg to grab the ball at inside-right, sliding a pass between Amavi and Baker for Sacko. But Bunn is out sharply to block.
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76 min “If you had the chance to show off your sleeve tattoos (should you have them),” emails Graeme Thorn, “in front of hundreds, nay, tens of thousands of supporters and viewers, would you cover them up with a long sleeve?”
I am, of course, double hard and impervious to cold, but were that not so, on a night like tonight I’d keep it to myself.
75 min McCormack nashes down the right and with very few options, clips a cross to Ayew, on the edge of the box, left-hand side. He takes a touch to control and mishit a shot that’s not too far wide.
74 min Hernandez takes a square pass from Berardi and makes to inside Hutton before disappearing outside and outswinging an early shot that passes just past the post.
73 min Ayling races in and ducks towards a header as Ayew pulls out to avoid hurting him. There’s a short pause for recovery.
70 min Do sleeve tattoos make your arms warm? It seems that every footballer who has one also wears a short-sleeved top, though maybe it just looks that way. Or maybe thy’re just less bothered by cold, i.e. harder.
69 min Change for Leeds, Roofe replaced by Wood.
67 min Lovely from Kodjia who fools Jansson, shaping to shoot then dashing away and skirting Cooper too, swivelling into a powerful cross-shot that Green dives to push away. Lovelily done.
Updated
66 min Leeds looks a much better side than Villa now; I wonder why they didn’t go for it in the first half on that basis.
65 min Kodjia appears at inside right and moves the ball into the middle without apparent plan, but it reaches Hutton nonetheless, only for Cooper to intervene with a well-timed tackle.
64 min “Watching this at 04:53 am in Western Australia is killing me,” brags Harry Hall. “Any chance of a Bacuna bullet header again?”
Every chance, I’d say.
63 min Villa need to do something, because Leeds look far more likely to score again than they do to equalise.
61 min The very definition of sobriety.
#AVFC 0-1 #LUFC - Goal - 54mins: The visitors are ahead. Pontus Jansson forces home a corner. #AVLLEE
— Aston Villa FC (@AVFCOfficial) December 29, 2016
60 min Lovely link-up between Sako and Hernandez, Hernandez then playing Doukara in. He’s offside, apparently - though it looked close.
60 min Well, this is a bit better at least.
59 min Villa break, feeding Bacuna, who nips the ball around Bridcutt, who runs through him anyway and takes the inevitable yellow card.
58 min Leeds win another corner, and in the absence of Dallas, they go short, Hernandez to Sako. Between them they make a mess of it, but win another nonetheless, which is cleared.
57 min Change for Leeds, Hernandez replacing Dallas.
56 min Again, Dallas’ delivery is good and Baker gets a slight touch, diverting the ball to Jansson who cushions it with a dextrous touch then slams a shot which clips the top of the bar!
Updated
55 min Suddenly Leeds look lively and Roofe runs at Baker, swivelling into a cross and winning another corner.
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 Leeds (Jansson, 53)
Leeds win a corner down the right, Jansson running around the back away from Chester and smacking a strong, low header that Bunn can’t hold!
Updated
52 min Kodjia pulls left again, comes inside on his right foot, and curls a delicate cross towards the far post, from where it is cleared.
51 min Something happens! McCormack moves superbly off the ball, finding space down the right, and ramming in a waist-high cross. It might’ve been too strong for the sliding Kodjia, but Green can’t take the chance, flying into a clearing punch.
50 min “Your terse, alliterative conclusion at 41 minutes of exactly how bad this match has been conjures up the chorus of this classic,” emails Peter Oh. “Hopefully it will get better.”
It might just be impossible for it not to.
49 min Off goes Grealish, as the away fans sing “Time to go”. Ross McCormack replaces him.
48 min Grealish is waving to the bench - looks like he’ll be off in a second. I’m sure Janssen will be over to commiserate presently.
47 min Jack Grealish has a dead leg. Next: player complains of noogie injury.
47 min Email! From J.R. in Illinois! “Well, this game is sure to get more entertaining,” he fantasises, “because Rob Green still has the entire second half to make his expected (by me anyway) hilarious and egregious howler. Is that harsh? I don’t see him play that often but it seems when I do he invariably commits at least one of ‘em.”
Harsh, I’d say, but I’d lap up some comedy goalkeeping like nobody’s business.
46 min Off we go again.
The players are back with us; time to pay some bills.
The state of these two badges.
📈 We take a look at tonight's stats from the first 45 minutes at Villa Park. Follow the live updates via https://t.co/WB36dLEiGs pic.twitter.com/0EytPpJGhz
— Leeds United (@LUFC) December 29, 2016
Given that once there were these, to say nothing of the diagonal LUFC.
Steve Bruce looks like Bart Simpson going to church.
#AVFC 0-0 #LUFC - MATCH PIC: Boss Steve Bruce watches on. His side are playing well, creating the better openings. Keep going boys! 💪 pic.twitter.com/imuwTfGSs7
— Aston Villa FC (@AVFCOfficial) December 29, 2016
Half-time stuff:
Half-time: Aston Villa 0-0 Leeds United
“A slow-burner so far,” says Bill Leslie, for whom the Permian-Triassic extinction event that killed 90% of the species “a slight annoyance”. It’s been awful.
45+2 min Nice from Kodja, appearing on the right by-line and teasing Cooper by turning inside and out, eventually sticking with out and hammering a low cross that forces Janssen into a dicey clearance that he handles well.
45+1 min There shall be three added minutes.
45 min Grealish flicks the ball down the line for himself as Janssen comes over, and well aware he’s never getting the ball, the defender leaves a bit in there, barging through him. Grealish goes down, hand over eyes, takes some treatment, and has abreather over the touchline. Janssen, meanwhile, is buy checking he’s alright, as though he didn’t just deliberately hurt him.
Updated
44 min Talking of Ayew, if you want to go to a particular part of Accra called East Legon, you can just tell the cab driver to take you to Abedi Pele’s house.
42 min Leeds clear a corner and Roofe sees Ayew coming, turning in a tight arc to move away from him - only he’s upended. Ayew does well to avoid a booking.
41 min This game is really, really bad.
40 min Leeds have been a little better these last few minutes, and when Amavi tries to let a Bridcutt pass run over the line, Ayling chases it down. He then looks to cross towards Sacko, but Chester is alert and intercepts.
38 min Sacko and Phillips combine to send the former down the line, and when Amavi slips, he has a chance to cross. But Jedinak is across sharply, gets the block in, and Hutton heads behind. The corner comes to nowt.
36 min Remember when Leeds had Viduka, good Smith, admittedly not so good Fowler and Keane as their strikers? And Kewell out wide? Ooof.
35 min On the other hand, Leeds’ kit looks like the one that they wore in this great game.
34 min Leeds have been absolutely pants so far.
32 min Ayew swings over the cross, but overhits it, forcing Green to tip over. The corner is equally rubbish, but isn’t cleared properly, so Amavi flings his whole body around the ball to impart as much swerve as possible, and Chester is up early! He hangs well too, before skilfully guiding a clever header back across goal that drops just past the post.
Updated
31 min Villa are trying, and find Ayew in space down the left. He shimmies and shmies, so Sacko loses patience and bumps him over, conceding a free-kick in a dangerous position, level with the edge of the box.
28 min Hutton slides Bacuna one down the line, but the ball comes back to Westwood, who swings over a cross. Which Cooper heads clear, unchallenged.
More news as I get it.
26 min “The match is yet to take off, Andy,” says Bill Leslie. Similarly, 2016 has been a moderately testing year.
26 min Bacuna gives the ball away to Phillips, but he can only divert it backwards towards Ayling. it ends up with Green, who thrashes forwards, and Villa regain possession.
25 min The ball goes backwards and forwards over the halfway line with nothing of note happening.
22 min Grealish knocks back to Jedinak, who humps forward looking for Bacuna down the right. Berardi doesn’t look especially happy under the high ball, but Bacuna can’t help himself, administering the shove and conceding the free-kick. Seconds later, the ball comes their way again, and this time it’s Berardi who offends, Bacuna leaving a foot in to remind us that he is petulant too. Hopefully this is the start of a beautiful animus.
21 min He’s back up again. back to those Twitters, the clubs have issued six updates combined, which tells you just how good of a game this is. I think that might be my favourite Americanism, along with I could care less.
19 min Pontus Jansson is down, stretching his leg. It looks like a knock rather than a strain, but we’ll see. He’s currently having his leg bent at a right angle to his body.
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17 min Leeds attack, finding Dallas on the left, and he wraps his foot around a cross into the middle. Doukara is sniffing, but Baker gets a good shout from his keeper and inhales at the last minute, thereby allowing it past for a goalkick.
16 min I’m becoming increasingly fascinated with official club Twitter accounts. Feel free to send in your favourite examples, such as Arsenal’s asking people what they’d say in their half-time talk were they Arsene Wenger.
15 min Garry Monk is wearing a coat within a coat. He must be a fan of Inception.
13 min Westwood pounces on a loose ball in centrefield and immediately finds Grealish, who transfers to Kodjia, again on the left. If he’s going to keep doing that, he’ll need midfielders to hit the box, but this time, Sacko tracks back to help out Ayling and between them they clear the danger.
13 min Elsewhere in the division:
Understand Derby are close to signing both Jordan Rhodes and Henri Lansbury. Two top quality Championship players if they land them #dcfc
— Tom Barclay (@TomBarclay_SUN) December 29, 2016
11 min What I particularly like about Kodjia is that he’s a one-man forward line, particularly handy given how few teams play two up these days. And he pulls left again - it takes two defenders to quell him.
10 min This is only the second time I’ve seen him, but on both occasions, Kodjia has looked a player. Villa had best come up, because even if they don’t, he still will.
8 min An excellent long pass, chipped forward by Cooper, finds Doukara loitering between Baker and Chester. His control isn’t great, but he still manages to check and get a shot away, which is quickly blocked.
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7 min Leeds really need Bridcutt to get a hold of things, because villa look dangerous every time they go forward.
5 min Robert Green humps the ball forward, which gets Leeds over halfway. But Phillips is barged off the ball by Kodjia, mooching about with ill intent, and he steps back inside before uncorking a drive that takes a deflection, forcing Green to hurl himself full-length to save/
3 min Villa are putting Leeds under here, and the crowd are getting behind them. Leeds haven’t yet crossed halfway.
2 min Horrendous behaviours from Cooper, who plays a blind backpass across the face of the box, picking out Kodjia. but rather than seize upon the ball he waits for it to arrive, which gives Janssen time to slide in a block his shot. Superb defending, that, but it oughtn’t to have been possible.
1 min Immediately, Villa look for Kodjia, possibly playing his final game prior to travelling to Gabon for the Cup of Nations. He’s pulled wide left, and beats a man or two on his way inside before he’s tackled.
1 min Villa set us away, defending the Holte End.
Leeds huddle. It is now hard to be impartial.
Apparently Villa have turned down a bid of £25m for Jordan Amavi. I’m not sure i know what to think about that.
Here come the players. The ground looks pretty full.
Apparently it’s very cold tonight, which is always nice to hear if you’re not the one haring about in your skin-tights, which you’re not, unless they’re reading this in the dressing room, which they probably are.
Steve Bruce says that he made changes to fresh things up, given the onslaught of games, and that there wasn’t anything in the game they lost to Leeds 2-0. Apart from two goals, presumably. But otherwise.
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Don Goodman is in the Sky studio, which reminds me of an hilarious anecdote. Once upon a time, I was in synagogue, having enjoyed a few warmers prior to and during - I was 14 after all. Anyhow, one of my friends was called to the reading of the Torah, so was asked for his name - the tradition is that your name and your father’s name are used - in Hebrew, if you’re me, Daniel Yitzchak Ya’akov ben David. Being a Sunderland fan, my friend told them that his name was Don ben Goodman. I’m sure the man himself would be honoured to know.
There’s some great stuff in here.
I wonder if Swansea regret sacking Garry Monk. I wonder if Leeds considered Francesco Guidolin when choosing a new manager.
#LUFC have won eight of their last 10 under Garry Monk.
— BBC 5 live Sport (@5liveSport) December 29, 2016
Is this season their best chance to get back to the #PL?https://t.co/NI1sjtGRxI pic.twitter.com/meYB8tiJpP
Is the Championship the best division in football?
It’s got to be up there in terms of fun to be had supporting your team, a constant stream of Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday-Tuesday behaviour.
Here’s what happened when the teams met earlier in the month.
#AVFC in 2016-17 before Steve Bruce:
— BBC 5 live Sport (@5liveSport) December 29, 2016
1 win
7 draws
4 defeats
9.09% win percentage
How has he turned it around?https://t.co/NI1sjtGRxI pic.twitter.com/tXMk6lCwtw
So, three changes for Villa: Adomah, Gardner and McCormack drop out, with Westwood, Grealish and Ayew coming in.
Leeds, meanwhile, make one enforced change: Bartley misses out - by a day, according to Monk - so Cooper comes in.
DJs and MCs
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1 sunshine): Bunn; Hutton, Chester, Baker, Amavi; Jedinak, Westwood; Bacuna, Grealish, Ayew; Kodjia.
Subs: Gollini, Elphick, Agbonlahor, Gestede, Gardner, Adomah, McCormack.
Leeds United (4-2-3-1 darling): Green; Ayling, Jansson, Cooper, Berardi; Phillips, Bridcutt; Sacko, Roofe, Dallas; Doukara.
Subs: Silvestri, Denton, Vieira, Hernandez, Mowatt, Wood, Antonsson.
Bias ref: Roger East (Policeman from Shameless)
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Preamble
Only five* English teams have won the European Cup, two** of them are in the Championship, and sort of two of them will scrap for beans tonight. On the one hand, this reflects the relatively open nature of the game in this country; on the other, it reflects appalling mismanagement and governance, culpability for which extends far beyond football.
But it is just possible that both these teams are now on the up. Steve Bruce, for all the various jokes about loyalty, gourmandry and looking like Sid the Sexist from Viz, is a very good manager and has proved it at a variety of clubs. Under him, Villa have won six of their last ten games and also drew with Brighton, who lead the league having won eight across an identical period.
Leeds, meanwhile, did superbly to appoint a man Swansea ought never to have sacked. Garry Monk is calm, enterprising and astute, and if he can only be left to get on with things, it won’t be long before Leedsleedsleeds return to the Premier League.
This should be a goodun.
Kick-off: 7.45pm GMT
*six if you include Leeds
**three if you include Leeds
Updated
Daniel will be here shortly. In the meantime you can read Nick Miller’s club-by-club analysis of how the Championship is shaping up at the halfway stage …
