ASTON VILLA 1 CITY 2
League Division 1
1st April 1990
attendance 24,797
scorers
City Ward(26), Reid(80)
Villa Cowans(11)
Ref R Nixon
City Dibble, Lake, Harper, Reid, Hendry, Redmond, White, Ward, Quinn, Allen, Megson – Subs Heath(52), I Brightwell(84)
Villa Spink, Olney, Gage, McGrath, Gray, Nielsen, Daley, Platt, Cascarino, Cowans, Ormondroyd – Subs Yorke(76), Williams(unused)
MARK WARD SCORES CITY’S EQUALISER
IT’S THE WINNER FROM PETER REID
FROM THE PRESS BOX
DAVID LACEY WRITING IN THE GUARDIAN 2ND APRIL 1990
Manchester City’s first away win in the First Division for more than four years has directed the League Championship even more firmly towards Anfield.
In fact yesterday could prove the day Aston Villa forfeited realistic hopes of the title. As their manager, Graham Taylor said: “Now we’ve got to be looking to Liverpool to collapse on the run-in.”
Villa’s 2-1 defeat means Liverpool will go three points clear if they beat Wimbledon at Anfield tomorrow and still have a match in hand. This is a position Kenny Dalglish and his players should relish.
Villa did not appear to relish anything from very much yesterday. They took the lead with an outstanding goal against the run of play, but once City had equalised, too many players did not have the legs to chase anything more than a draw. That was denied them when Reid scored the winner 10 minutes from time. Taylor did not spare his players afterwards. “We got only what we deserved.” He said, “absolutely nothing. We were outfought and outplayed. In fact, we played like school boys. We looked so naive at times.”
There was no fluke about a result which has taken City out of the bottom three. They have played imaginative football With a freshness, which belied their position and a slump which had produced only one win in the previous 13 games.
For Villa only Spink in goal, and McGrath in central defence produced normal form. Platt and Cowans were fitful and, apart from the two or three bursts of speed, Daley was ineffective on the right wing.
Their form since the outstanding performance at Tottenham has fallen away dramatically and their problems have been compounded by the loss of Mountfield from a defensive system which had done much to give the side its shape.
Cascarino, Villa’s £1.5 million signing from Millwall, has not scored in four games for his new club. He was sluggish on his first home appearance and Taylor’s decision to recall Olney, the man Cascarino had displaced, made little difference.
Yet the game’s pattern hinged more on the domination of Cowans and Platt in midfield by Megson and Reid, the industry of Ward and thrust of White, whose Pace on the flanks consistently upstaged Daley.
Villa took the lead in the 12th minute with their first co-ordinated attack. Cascarino, beat two Defenders on the left and, after a dummy by Olney, Platt went wide and drew Dibble before squaring the ball to Cowans, who scored emphatically.
14 minutes later, after Ormondroyd lost possession, Reid pushed the ball towards Ward, who withstood Ormondroyd’s attempt at a tackle to equalise with a well-struck shot that was slightly deflected.
The second half was inconclusive until Allen’s header struck the right hand angle of the Villa goal 15 minutes from time.
Five minutes later, Allen and Heath, who had replaced the injured Quinn, sent in White for a shot that hit the left hand post and ricocheted across for Reid to make a little bit of History.
