Aston Villa vs. Southampton: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Aston Villa opened the scoring against the run of play but had to hold on for a point following Nathaniel Clyne's late equaliser for Southampton in a 1-1 draw Monday night.
Gabriel Agbonlahor put the hosts in front after beating Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster to Ciaran Clark's long pass in the 29th minute, but overall it was the guests who dictated play throughout the 90 minutes at Villa Park.
A handful of performances stood out on Monday night, as did some rather underwhelming ones.
Following are the individual winners and losers from this encounter.
Winner: Gabriel Agbonlahor, Who Worked His Socks off
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Gabriel Agbonlahor didn't stop running on Monday night, and at the final whistle his effort had been vital in picking up a point that lifted Aston Villa from 17th place to 16th in the Premier League table.
In the 29th minute, the 28-year-old sprinted after a long Ciaran Clark pass that Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster also fancied as he rushed off his line. But Agbonlahor was first to the ball and rounded Forster before slipping the ball into the back of the net.
As Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe pointed out on Twitter, the Villa striker put in an impressive first half against the Saints.
And he didn't take his foot off the gas after the restart, either.
Loser: Fraser Forster, Who Cost His Side Two Points
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Fraser Forster didn't make a single save on Monday, such was the impotence of the Aston Villa attack.
But just before the half-hour mark, he rushed off his line in an attempt to beat Gabriel Agbonlahor to a long pass and came off decidedly second-best.
The decision put Southampton surprisingly behind in the match, and it wasn't until the 81st minute that they restored level terms. Had Forster successfully cleared the danger, Southampton would have likely walked away from Villa Park with all three points.
Southampton manager Ronald Koeman was swift to defend his goalkeeper, though, as Nick Mashiter of the Press Association (via the Daily Mail) reported.
Koeman was quoted as saying:
"He is a great goalkeeper and that doesn’t change after this mistake.
It doesn’t usually go against us and it was a misunderstanding. He came out, stopped and if you stop you are too late.
He is clever enough to understand that kind of mistake.
"
Koeman is unlikely to drop Forster for Sunday's visit of Manchester City in the Premier League, though, with the goalkeeper enjoying a strong first season with the Saints.
Winner: Jores Okore, Who Made an Impressive Return to the Villa Line-Up
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Jores Okore hadn't started for Aston Villa since a September 2013 cruciate ligament injury ended his 2013-14 season.
But on Monday, he was restored to his side's first XI and went on to put in an inspired performance at the heart of the defense.
The 22-year-old's most important contribution to the Villa cause was his containment of Saints striker Graziano Pelle, and in the 48th minute he also made an important clearance of Dusan Tadic's clipped ball into the area.
Tom Rennie of talkSPORT praised Okore on Twitter, calling him a "rock" in the Villa defense.
Loser: Paul Lambert, Whose Second Substitution Was a Head-Scratcher
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That Aston Villa spent the majority of Monday's match on the back foot was hardly surprising.
In Southampton, they were facing one of the most potent attacks in the Premier League—a side that came into the contest trailing only Chelsea in the standings.
And yet, the hosts managed to contain Southampton through much of the encounter. Sadio Mane's long-range effort that drew a diving save out from Brad Guzan was the guests' best opportunity to get themselves on the scoresheet until the last 20 minutes.
But then Villa manager Paul Lambert withdrew midfielder Carlos Sanchez in favour of striker Darren Bent.
It was a curious substitution, especially as Sanchez had been vital in helping neutralise the likes of Graziano Pelle, Shane Long and Dusan Tadic.
Incidentally, as SB Nation's Kevin McCauley pointed out on Twitter, the Nathaniel Clyne equaliser came right where Sanchez would have been stationed.
Winner: Nathaniel Clyne, Who Finally Broke Through for Southampton
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It's been a memorable November for Nathaniel Clyne.
Earlier this month, the Southampton right-back took his England bow against Slovenia and faced Scotland at Celtic Park. On Monday, he scored the equaliser for Southampton against Aston Villa.
Perhaps left-back Ryan Bertrand didn't mean to pick him out with a reverse from the opposite flank, but nevertheless, Clyne did ever so well to beat Guzan with a first-time finish and ensure his side a split of the points at Villa Park.
Loser: Traveling Fans and the Match Atmosphere
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Sections of Villa Park were completely unpopulated on Monday, and as the BBC's Mark Chapman opined on Twitter, Aston Villa asked for it by charging £41 per ticket for traveling fans.
The match atmosphere suffered as a result—something that didn't elude BT Sport commentator Derek Rae, who remarked via Twitter that the stadium sounded "sleepy."
