Villa blend taught a harsh lesson

Ashley Young penalty puts Villa ahead against United

It's not often you see one of Sir Alex Ferguson's team reeling but that's exactly what happened during the second half of Aston Villa's 2-all draw with Manchester United.

Villa looked to have killed off United at 2-nil, but they failed to factor in that this is a team led by the Govanator.

After a misshapen, eventless first-half, Villa's youngsters grew in stature and confidence as United buckled under a tirade of AV adventure.

Peppering United's woodwork turned out to be more than just a fruitless phase. Referee Mike Dean awarded Ashley Young a penalty, and he duly converted to put the home team into a deserved lead.

Yippee-yi-yay! Albrighton is a Holte Ender

Then 2-nil on the break real United-style. Man-of-the-match Marc Albrighton got his reward for a performance of box-to-box tenacity.

But United are never beaten until the final whistle and finished strongly. Sharp shooter Federico Macheda struck with 12 minutes left (17 including Fergie Time) - and Nemanja Vidic headed superbly across the body of Brad Friedel.

Gerard Houllier's blooding of youth seems a touch gung ho - but in introducing Jonathan Hogg from the start and Chris Herd at the end for their debuts, the Villa squad is suddenly looking a lot deeper.

Vidic: He comes from Serbia; he'll fookin' murder yer.

Brad Friedel defies his age and looks at the top of his game and James Collins gives his all. But Richard Dunne's let a few mistakes creep into his game. He's a vital old head at the back but Ciaran Clark is an early demonstration of Houllier's policy. Competition is vital to any winning side.

Another draw means Villa can't get carried away - so there's plenty to aim for for this blend of kids and cockers!

But if this carries on well, Houllier will have selection headaches across a winning team!

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