Carling Cup
January 14, 2010
Blackburn Rovers
0 - 1
Aston Villa
Carling Cup
20:00 GMT, January 14, 2010
Ewood Park, England
Referee: M Clattenburg
Milner strikes crucial blow
Scoring Summary
| Blackburn Rovers | Aston Villa |
|---|---|
| James Milner (23') |
Teams
| Blackburn Rovers | Aston Villa |
|---|---|
| 1 Paul Robinson | 22 Brad Guzan |
| 27 Míchel Salgado | 29 James Collins |
| 2 Lars Jacobsen | 5 Richard Dunne |
| 39 Pascal Chimbonda | 25 Stephen Warnock |
| 6 Ryan Nelsen | 24 Carlos Jimenez Cuellar |
| 4 Christopher Samba | 19 Stiliyan Petrov |
| 8 David Dunn | 6 Stewart Downing |
| 12 Morten Gamst Pedersen | 8 James Milner |
| 7 Brett Emerton | 7 Ashley Young |
| 15 Steven Nzonzi | 18 Emile Heskey |
| 22 Nikola Kalinic | 11 Gabriel Agbonlahor |
| Substitutes | |
| 32 Jason Brown | Brad Friedel 1 |
| 21 Martin Olsson | Luke Young 2 |
| 28 Phil Jones | Habib Beye 23 |
| 16 Steven Reid | Steve Sidwell 4 |
| 10 Benedict McCarthy | Nigel Reo-Coker 20 |
| 26 Franco Di Santo | Fabian Delph 16 |
| 23 David Hoilett | John Carew 10 |
| Substitutions | |
| Martin Olsson for Lars Jacobsen (46) | Steve Sidwell for Emile Heskey (71) |
| Steven Reid for Míchel Salgado (71) | |
| Benedict McCarthy for Morten Gamst Pedersen (75) | |
| Yellow Cards | |
| Benedict McCarthy (90) | Gabriel Agbonlahor (39) |
| · Squads: Blackburn Rovers | Aston Villa | |
England midfielder James Milner maintained Aston Villa's dreams of ending a 14-year wait for a trophy as his side beat Blackburn 1-0.
• O'Neill rage at Gabby booking
Milner put his side in the driving seat in this Carling Cup semi-final tie by scoring his fifth goal in 11 games.
It was just the boost manager Martin O'Neill was looking for with the second leg to come at home next Wednesday.
Villa have not held silverware since winning the League Cup in 1996 but perhaps this could be their year.
However they made hard work of it with Blackburn striker Ivan Kalinic twice hitting the post in the second half.
Villa dominated the first half and the only surprise was that they did not hold more than a one-goal advantage.
Blackburn were left chasing shadows after almost taking the lead in the third minute.
David Dunn turned quickly and fired in a shot that took a slight deflection and finished narrowly wide.
But that was as good as it got for Blackburn in the first 45 minutes with Villa quickly stepping up the pace.
Ashley Young sent his effort wide of the target in the tenth minute after a one-two from a short corner with Milner.
The visitors kept up the pressure and Ryan Nelsen blocked a shot from Emile Heskey after Stiliyan Petrov had sprung the offside trap.
Then Gabriel Agbonlahor sent a shot into Paul Robinson's arms before they took the lead in the 23rd minute.
It followed a stunning counter attack that took Blackburn by surprise.
Milner galloped over the halfway line, released Stewart Downing and continued his run unhindered.
Downing then played in a perfect ball and Milner took full advantage for his seventh goal of a fine season and one that he hopes ends with the World Cup in South Africa.
Agbonlahor was then booked for simulation in the 40th minute following a challenge by Chris Samba just inside in the penalty area.
Villa boss O'Neill displayed a look of disbelief at the decision by referee Mark Clattenburg - and he was not the only one.
Blackburn again found themselves on the back foot in first half stoppage time and Petrov came close to adding a second.
The Bulgarian got goal-side of Samba but goalkeeper Paul Robinson reacted superbly to parry his effort.
Villa continued where they left off at the start of the second half and Milner tested Robinson in the 46th minute.
There was no let up for Blackburn and Ashley Young's cross came off Emile Heskey's shin four minutes and went narrowly wide.
However the balance of power suddenly shifted with a header from Kalinic coming back off the post following a cross from Morten Gamst Pedersen.
Dunn then scuffed a shot wide in the 59th minute after being set up by Pascal Chimbonda.
However Kalinic was again cursing his luck six minutes later when his shot came back off the woodwork after he was set up by Chimbonda.
Back came Villa and Young sent his effort across the face of the goal before Brett Emerton forced Guzan to claw his effort around the post.
Agbonlahor almost added a second for Villa on the stroke of full time after he had been set up by Young but Robinson managed to get a hand to it.
There was one final twist in the game with Steven Nzonzi heading over a corner from Dunn and that summed up Blackburn's night.
They have not won now in nine games after beating Chelsea in the quarter-final and need to turn things around quickly if their season is not to implode.