Blackburn 2 - Aston Villa 0

Friedel in a flap as Villa clown around

Points Awards

• Losing Team (1 each): B. Friedel, L. Young, R. Dunne, S. Downing, A. Young, G. Agbonlahor, N. Delfouneso, S. Warnock, B. Bannan, C. Clark, C. Herd, J. Hogg, S. Ireland, and R. Pirès
• Yellow Card (1): C. Clark
• Missed Goal (2): E. Diouf
• Missed chance (1): S. Downing
• Miss by mile (1): P. Chimbonda
• Miss by mile (1): P. Jones
• Miss by mile (1): G. Givet
• Assist - 3 (3): B. Friedel
• Comedy value (1): G. Givet
• Comedy value (1): A. Young
• Comedy value (1): L. Young

By Keith Rodgers
Red noses, crazy facepaint and unfeasibly large footwear were the order of the day at Ewood Park as the football took second place to slapstick entertainment. First, Villa teammates Luke Young and Ashley Young collided with one another on the edge of the Blackburn penalty area, allowing a neat through ball from Stewart Downing to trickle harmlessly out of play. Next, referee Michael Oliver sent Blackburn’s Gael Givet crashing to the ground in a comedy collision that may or may not have contributed to the Frenchman’s half-time substitution.

Best of all, on the stroke of half-time, Villa keeper Brad Friedel flapped hopelessly at a long-range Morten Gamst Pederson cross-cum-shot-cum-speculative-free-kick, then watched even more hopelessly as the ball settled in the back of the net. Had he been under any pressure from opposition forwards – as he had for most of the first-half crosses that came his way – you might have forgiven him. But he had enough space to swing a dead cat, lob a custard pie, hitch an elephant ride, squirt a terrified front-row youngster with his comedy flower and even, perhaps, catch the ball.

Those moments of slapstick humour earned the two Youngs and Givet a point apiece for comedy value, and Friedel three points for an assist. Givet had already picked up an earlier point for blasting the ball into Row Z, while Downing had earned another in the third minute for failing to beat Paul Robinson in a one-on-one.

With Pederson sticking his toe out to make it 2-0 to Blackburn midway through the second half – from a corner conceded courtesy of a Friedel punch – the final chuckle of the game should have come at the sight of Robert Pires making his debut for Villa at the grand old age of 87. But there was more entertainment to come. First, Blackburn’s Phil Jones blasted into Row Z from the edge of the area. Then Michel Salgado fired in an inch-perfect cross to El-Hadji Djiouf, unmarked six yards out, who headed gloriously wide for two points. And in the final minutes of injury time, Blackburn’s Pascal Chimbonda fired high and wide for his own Row Z special.

That just left time for our expert panelist to straddle a unicycle, juggle four burning torches and lob the gong for most disappointing player in the direction of Friedel. No prizes for guessing what happened next.

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