Aston Villa vs Arsenal
Match pulse
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Who won: Arsenal 2-0
Arsenal beat Aston Villa 2-0 on Sunday, January 18, 2004 at Villa Park. Goals for Arsenal: Thierry Henry (29', 53' pen).
Play by play
- 90'
They may have had a helping hand from the referee, but it was a regulation win for Arsenal. They never really stepped up into second gear and return to the top of the Premiership table
- 90'
And there goes the final whistle
- 90'
Henry breaks forward, cuts inside for the shot - easy for Sorensen
- 90'
Cygan brings down Angel, and there's the chance for a consolation. Angel takes it himself but only hits the wall
- 90'
Two minutes to be added on
- 89'
"Two nil to the referee", chant the Villa faithful
- 88'
Ridgewell finds space on the left. His hanging cross finds Angel, but the Colombian canot get power on the header and it's easy for Lehmann
- 87'
Toure bursts into the Villa half and creates a chance, only for his powerful effort to held by Sorensen
- 86'
Free-kick to Villa. Hitzlsperger drifts it into the box, Campbell heads clear
- 85'
Hitzlsperger takes a quick free-kick but, on the stretch, Mellberg can't direct his header
- 84'
Toure breaks through the centre - but the offside flag has gone up
- 83'
Villa make a triple change themselves. Gareth Barry is off for Peter Crouch. Lee Hendrie is replaced by Ulises de la Cruz. And Liam Ridgewell is on for Marcus Allback
- 82'
Parlous looks for the run of Toure - playing up front, only for Mellberg to make the interception
- 81'
Edu drags back Delaney - a chance for Villa. Hendrie delivers from the left flank, but his cross is headed clear
- 80'
Both sides now look ready for the final whistle. Villa beaten, Arsenal happy with the 2-0 scoreline
- 79'
Whittingham's shot is blocked by Gilberto
- 78'
Time is running our for Aston Villa now, they don't look like many an inroad into Arsenal's advantage
- 77'
Parlour unleashes an effort from the angle of the box and it flies inches wide of the upright, oh so close to a third for Arsenal
- 76'
Hitzlsperger tries one from the edge of the box, but fires wide
- 75'
Arsenal to make three changes. Ray Parlour replaces Freddie Ljungberg. Robert Pires is replaced by Edu and Kolo Toure is on for Nwankwo Kanu
- 74'
Henry lays the ball off for Pires around the D, he looks to bend one into the top corner - and gets it horribly wrong and horribly wide. Goal-kick
- 73'
With Sorensen off his line Cole opts to shoot from just ten yards inside the Villa half, but it goes way over
- 72'
Now Angel climbs on Cole, and yet again the referee blows his whistle
- 71'
Free-kick for Villa after a handball by Pires
- 70'
Samuel brusts down the left, but yet again his final ball is woeful - far too deep and it gifts a goal-kick to the visitors
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