Aston Villa against Tottenham Hotspur

Sorensen saves comfortably as Defoe cuts inside on to his right foot and strikes for goal.

Villa are getting sloppy, and Spurs look they're capable of stealing all three points.

Villa will be furious with the scoreline; they have had far more chances than Spurs but have failed to take them.

Baros wins his side a corner when he plays the ball off Naybet. Barry almost gets his head on Berger's center, but Spurs clear.

GOAL! Villa are made to pay for their missed chances as Keane latches on to a loose ball inside the area, beats a man and smashes a shot past Sorensen.

Oooh! Baros is put clean through by Samuel, but he places his right-foot shot well wide of the far post with only Robinson to beat.

Oooh! Berger curls a free-kick narrowly wide of the post from 25 yards. Great effort from the Villa midfielder.

Naybet is booked for a cynical challenge on Baros.

There is a lot of huff and puff about Spurs, without any sort of end product.

Oooh! Baros volleys a first-time effort over the bar from a tight angle. Good effort from the Czech striker.

SUB: Bouma off, Samuel on. A like-for-like swap at left-back from O'Leary.

Milner curls a dangerous cross in towards Angel at the back post, though Stalteri heads away for a throw.

Oooh! Sorensen makes a good save from Keane's volley from just inside the penalty area.

Baros requires the help of the Villa physio after taking a blow to his chest following a challenge in the air with King.

Staltiri sends a high ball in to the area, aimed ay Grzegorz Rasiak, but Sorensen comes out to collect.

Spurs are enjoying a lot of the possession at the moment, but are struggling to create chances for their strikers.

SUB: Reid off, Keane on. A slight change of tactic from Spurs, who have changed to more of a 4-3-3 formation.

Keane removes his tracksuit on the touchline. He then pulls up his socks, and now appears ready for action.

Angel collects a pass from Baros on the left, cuts inside, but his shot is wide of Robinson's near post. He looks rueful.

After a long period of inactivity, the game has sparked in to life again with those two shots that crashed against the bar.

Oooh! Defoe strikes a left-foot effort against the Villa crossbar after pouncing on a long clearance.

Oooh! Ridgewell flicks a shot against the underside of the crossbar, with Robinson beaten. Great effort from the defender.

Reid's clever ball over the top of the Villa defence almost finds Tianio, though Bouma is alert enough to head out of play for a corner.

The tempo of the game has slowed since the interval; lots of gentle probing, without any creative ideas.

Defoe fires a cross/shot across the face of goal after working himself a little space inside the Villa area.

Reid fouls Ridgwell near the corner flag, giving Villa the chance to send over a dangerous cross. Berger fires the ball in to the centre, but Robinson punches clear.

Robbie Keane is on the bench for Tottenham; I don't think it will be long before he's thrown on by Jol.

Reid is set free down the left wing, though he fails to find a team-mate with his cross. He should have done better; he had plenty time.

Villa's back four have coped fairly well with Spurs this afternoon; Jol must be thinking about making a change.

Bouma shows good composure to head a loose ball back to Sorensen. With Defore lurking, he had to get that right.

Baros is making some good runs down the channels to provide an outlet for his side; he has been impressive so far this evening.

A cross-field ball from Reid causes some confusion in the Villa defence, though King eventually puts his foot through the ball and clears.

Barry breaks through the middle but an off-side flag stops him in his tracks.

A great turn from Defoe sends him away down the right, though he gets a little greedy and Villa win the ball back.

Spurs kick off the second half. They look hungry for success.

HALF-TIME: Villa have been on top, and deserve to be in front at the break. They have worked very hard, and forced Spurs in to mistakes at the back.

Oooh! Robinson makes another good save after Baros had turned in the box and fired a low shot goalwards.

Davis has been superb for the home side in this first half; he has hunted every loose ball, and worked so very hard for his team.

Oooh! Barry curls a superb cross in to the box, Angel sneaks around the back of the Spurs defence but plants his header straight at Robinson.

Jol looks furious as he stands on the sidelienes; his side have given the ball away far too often in the first half.

Spurs seem strangely unsettled at the back; the Villa strikers are pressurising them in to mistakes.

Lee shows good skill on the left wing as he beats Ridgwell before firing in a dangerous cross, though the Spurs strikers don't gamble on the near post and Sorensen claims easily.

Reid takes the set-piece, but his left-foot shot is blocked by the Villa wall.

There is something of a debate going on between the Spurs players as to who will take the free-kick. Baros is booked for his complaints to the referee.

Spurs win a free-kick in a dangerous spot when Mellberg climbs over Grzegorz Rasiak on the edge of the penalty area.

SUB: Naybet on, Gardener off. An enforced change from Jol.

Gardener leaves the field on a yellow stretcher, his face screwed in to a tight ball of anger and frustration.

The Spurs physio jogs on to treat Gardner. He prods and pokes his firm, chunky thigh before making the decision to call for a stretcher.

Gardener collapses to the turf after running in to team-mate King. He holds his thigh, and looks in some pain.

Spurs are enjoying a lot of possession, though are struggling to create any chances for their front two.

Barry again breaks up a promising Spurs attack; he is doing a good job of disrupting things, in front of the Villa back-four.

Barry puts in a great tackle on Jenas as the former Newcastle man tried to break in to the Villa penalty area.

The officials aren't endearing themselves to the home fans; a series of baffling decisions have gone against Villa in recent minutes.

Baros tugs at the shirt of King as the two challenge for a ball on the touchline. Free-kick, though the Villa striker appears confused with the decision.

Gardener slides in from behind on Baros, although the referee sees nothing wrong with the challenge. The Villa fans aren't happy with the decision.

Bouma was perhaps a little unlucky to have given away the penalty in the first place, though he hasn't looked all that certain in the opening half-hour.

Poor penalty by the England striker, though it took a good save from Sorensen to keep Villa in front.

SAVED! Defoe's penalty goes low to the left-hand corner, but Sorensen guesses correct and saves well.

PENALTY! A bouncing ball flicks Bouma's arm, and the referee points to the spot.

Baros is working very hard off the ball for the home side; he is chasing everything down and putting Gardener and King under great pressure.

The pace of the game has slowed a little since Villa's early goal.

Carrick lofts a cross in to the area, but Gardener's header across goal is taken comfortably by Sorensen.

Barry curls the free-kick in to the area, but Carrick clears.

Great spin from Baros as he gets away from King and runs at the heart of the Tottenham defence. He wins a free kick when he is brought down on the edge of the area.

Jenas pulls a shot wide of the post from 25 yards out. He had found himself a little space, but rather scuffed his effort.

Spurs are slowly coming in to the game; they had a shakey start, but are gradually finding their feet as the half progresses.

Oooh! Tainio cracks a shot over the bar from six yards out after latching on to Defoe's low cross in to the box.

Milner has made a good start to the match. He is on loan from Newcastle, but Villa seem keen to make the move permanent. He will have impressed the home fans with his early goal.

King and Gardener are being put under a lot of pressure by Angel and Baros, who are hunting everything down.

Milner whips a free-kick in to a crowded area, though Robinson collects well under pressure from Angel.

Grzegorz Rasiak is an imposing physical presence up front for Spurs, though he is having trouble keeping hold of the ball and bringing his team-mates in to play.

Villa Park isn't full this evening. although there is a very good atmosphere inside the ground.

Spurs have yet to settle in this game, and Villa have capitalised; O'Leary will be dlighted with the start that his side have made.

Spurs are struggling to get in to the game at the moment; they can't hold the ball for any length of time, and are giving possession back to the home side with alarming regularity.

It's been a good start to the match; Villa are definitely on top, and look very keen to make ammends for their shocking performance earlier in the week when they were stuffed by West Ham.

I'm informed that Phillips injured himself during the warm up, and his place on the bench has been taken by young Luke Moore.

Oooh! A thrill a minute. Baros fires a shot straight at the goalkeeper from six yards out after being found by a low cross from the right.

Oooh! Baros mis-kicks after being through by Barry's cute pass in to the area. He should have done better, and looks suitably ashamed of himself.

GOAL! Milner smashes a low shot in to the far corner from 25 yards, a goal on his home debut.

Oooh! King glances a header narrowly wide of the post from Lee's cross. Sorensen is unhappy and claps his hand in a furious fashion.

Spurs win an early free kick, from which Lee wins his side a corner as his attempted cross is deflected behind.

Villa kick the game off, in front of a capacity crowd in Birmingham. For those of you watching in black and white, Villa are playing in claret and blue, Spurs in white.

Team news: Angel starts in place of Phillips for Villa; Reid comes in for Lennon in the Spurs side.

Hi there; welcome to minute-by-minute commentary of Aston Villa's home match against Tottenham Hotspur. Stick with me; things are going to get interesting.

Spurs are enjoying a lot of the possession at the moment, but are struggling to create chances for their strikers.

SUB: Reid off, Keane on. A slight change of tactic from Spurs, who have changed to more of a 4-3-3 formation.

Keane removes his tracksuit on the touchline. He then pulls up his socks, and now appears ready for action.

Angel collects a pass from Baros on the left, cuts inside, but his shot is wide of Robinson's near post. He looks rueful.

After a long period of inactivity, the game has sparked in to life again with those two shots that crashed against the bar.

Oooh! Defoe strikes a left-foot effort against the Villa crossbar after pouncing on a long clearance.

Oooh! Ridgewell flicks a shot against the underside of the crossbar, with Robinson beaten. Great effort from the defender.

Reid's clever ball over the top of the Villa defence almost finds Tianio, though Bouma is alert enough to head out of play for a corner.

The tempo of the game has slowed since the interval; lots of gentle probing, without any creative ideas.

Defoe fires a cross/shot across the face of goal after working himself a little space inside the Villa area.

Reid fouls Ridgwell near the corner flag, giving Villa the chance to send over a dangerous cross. Berger fires the ball in to the centre, but Robinson punches clear.

Robbie Keane is on the bench for Tottenham; I don't think it will be long before he's thrown on by Jol.

Reid is set free down the left wing, though he fails to find a team-mate with his cross. He should have done better; he had plenty time.

Villa's back four have coped fairly well with Spurs this afternoon; Jol must be thinking about making a change.

Bouma shows good composure to head a loose ball back to Sorensen. With Defore lurking, he had to get that right.

Baros is making some good runs down the channels to provide an outlet for his side; he has been impressive so far this evening.

A cross-field ball from Reid causes some confusion in the Villa defence, though King eventually puts his foot through the ball and clears.

Barry breaks through the middle but an off-side flag stops him in his tracks.

A great turn from Defoe sends him away down the right, though he gets a little greedy and Villa win the ball back.

Spurs kick off the second half. They look hungry for success.

HALF-TIME: Villa have been on top, and deserve to be in front at the break. They have worked very hard, and forced Spurs in to mistakes at the back.

Oooh! Robinson makes another good save after Baros had turned in the box and fired a low shot goalwards.

Davis has been superb for the home side in this first half; he has hunted every loose ball, and worked so very hard for his team.

Oooh! Barry curls a superb cross in to the box, Angel sneaks around the back of the Spurs defence but plants his header straight at Robinson.

Jol looks furious as he stands on the sidelienes; his side have given the ball away far too often in the first half.

Spurs seem strangely unsettled at the back; the Villa strikers are pressurising them in to mistakes.

Lee shows good skill on the left wing as he beats Ridgwell before firing in a dangerous cross, though the Spurs strikers don't gamble on the near post and Sorensen claims easily.

Reid takes the set-piece, but his left-foot shot is blocked by the Villa wall.

There is something of a debate going on between the Spurs players as to who will take the free-kick. Baros is booked for his complaints to the referee.

Spurs win a free-kick in a dangerous spot when Mellberg climbs over Grzegorz Rasiak on the edge of the penalty area.

SUB: Naybet on, Gardener off. An enforced change from Jol.

Gardener leaves the field on a yellow stretcher, his face screwed in to a tight ball of anger and frustration.

The Spurs physio jogs on to treat Gardner. He prods and pokes his firm, chunky thigh before making the decision to call for a stretcher.

Gardener collapses to the turf after running in to team-mate King. He holds his thigh, and looks in some pain.

Spurs are enjoying a lot of possession, though are struggling to create any chances for their front two.

Barry again breaks up a promising Spurs attack; he is doing a good job of disrupting things, in front of the Villa back-four.

Barry puts in a great tackle on Jenas as the former Newcastle man tried to break in to the Villa penalty area.

The officials aren't endearing themselves to the home fans; a series of baffling decisions have gone against Villa in recent minutes.

Baros tugs at the shirt of King as the two challenge for a ball on the touchline. Free-kick, though the Villa striker appears confused with the decision.

Gardener slides in from behind on Baros, although the referee sees nothing wrong with the challenge. The Villa fans aren't happy with the decision.

Bouma was perhaps a little unlucky to have given away the penalty in the first place, though he hasn't looked all that certain in the opening half-hour.

Poor penalty by the England striker, though it took a good save from Sorensen to keep Villa in front.

SAVED! Defoe's penalty goes low to the left-hand corner, but Sorensen guesses correct and saves well.

PENALTY! A bouncing ball flicks Bouma's arm, and the referee points to the spot.

Baros is working very hard off the ball for the home side; he is chasing everything down and putting Gardener and King under great pressure.

The pace of the game has slowed a little since Villa's early goal.

Carrick lofts a cross in to the area, but Gardener's header across goal is taken comfortably by Sorensen.

Barry curls the free-kick in to the area, but Carrick clears.

Great spin from Baros as he gets away from King and runs at the heart of the Tottenham defence. He wins a free kick when he is brought down on the edge of the area.

Jenas pulls a shot wide of the post from 25 yards out. He had found himself a little space, but rather scuffed his effort.

Spurs are slowly coming in to the game; they had a shakey start, but are gradually finding their feet as the half progresses.

Oooh! Tainio cracks a shot over the bar from six yards out after latching on to Defoe's low cross in to the box.

Milner has made a good start to the match. He is on loan from Newcastle, but Villa seem keen to make the move permanent. He will have impressed the home fans with his early goal.

King and Gardener are being put under a lot of pressure by Angel and Baros, who are hunting everything down.

Milner whips a free-kick in to a crowded area, though Robinson collects well under pressure from Angel.

Grzegorz Rasiak is an imposing physical presence up front for Spurs, though he is having trouble keeping hold of the ball and bringing his team-mates in to play.

Villa Park isn't full this evening. although there is a very good atmosphere inside the ground.

Spurs have yet to settle in this game, and Villa have capitalised; O'Leary will be dlighted with the start that his side have made.

Spurs are struggling to get in to the game at the moment; they can't hold the ball for any length of time, and are giving possession back to the home side with alarming regularity.

It's been a good start to the match; Villa are definitely on top, and look very keen to make ammends for their shocking performance earlier in the week when they were stuffed by West Ham.

I'm informed that Phillips injured himself during the warm up, and his place on the bench has been taken by young Luke Moore.

Oooh! A thrill a minute. Baros fires a shot straight at the goalkeeper from six yards out after being found by a low cross from the right.

Oooh! Baros mis-kicks after being through by Barry's cute pass in to the area. He should have done better, and looks suitably ashamed of himself.

GOAL! Milner smashes a low shot in to the far corner from 25 yards, a goal on his home debut.

Oooh! King glances a header narrowly wide of the post from Lee's cross. Sorensen is unhappy and claps his hand in a furious fashion.

Spurs win an early free kick, from which Lee wins his side a corner as his attempted cross is deflected behind.

Villa kick the game off, in front of a capacity crowd in Birmingham. For those of you watching in black and white, Villa are playing in claret and blue, Spurs in white.

Team news: Angel starts in place of Phillips for Villa; Reid comes in for Lennon in the Spurs side.

Hi there; welcome to minute-by-minute commentary of Aston Villa's home match against Tottenham Hotspur. Stick with me; things are going to get interesting.