Aston Villa beat Birmingham City 1-0 at Villa Park this afternoon.
Aston Villa’s Mile Jedinak with a ripped shirt
Aston Villa pushed local rivals Birmingham City ever closer to the Championship relegation zone by beating the Blues 1-0 at Villa Park this afternoon.
Birmingham had appointed Harry Redknapp as their new manager earlier in the week following Gianfranco Zola’s resignation, and he was in the Blues dugout for the first time as Birmingham desperately looked for points.
Villa’s season is effectively over, but that didn’t stop them from claiming bragging rights at Villa Park, with substitute Gabby Agbonlahor – known for his remarkable goalscoring record against Birmingham – popped up to smash home from close range after a goalmouth scramble.
Birmingham attempted to get back into the game with 20 minutes to play, but Redknapp was left with a defeat in his first game in charge, leaving the Blues just two points and one place outside of the relegation zone.
Villa were left to celebrate a first win in three games, with Australian midfielder Mile Jedinak earning praise from fans for his performance in today’s victory.
The former Crystal Palace veteran was praised by fans for being a ‘man mountain’ in the Villa midfield, having dominated the game from start to finish and ran the Villa midfield amid little help from his team-mates.
Birmingham City’s Emilio Nsue in action with Aston Villa’s Scott Hogan and Gabriel Agbonlahor
Whilst Jedinak was lauded, one Villa player who didn’t receive similar comments is striker Scott Hogan, who led the line up front in the absence of the suspended Jonathan Kodjia.
The big-money January signing from Brentford struggled to make an impact, and with his record for Villa now standing at one goal in 11 appearances, some are worried that Steve Bruce isn’t getting the best out of him – but believe that he will come good with a full pre-season and a run without injuries.
What did you think of Jedinak and Hogan’s displays against Birmingham City?
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