Tim Sherwood is clinging onto his job as Aston Villa manager after suffering an eighth Premier League defeat in 10 games against Swansea City at Villa Park.
In a game billed as “must win” by Sherwood himself, Andre Ayew won the battle of the Ayew brothers by clinching a 2-1 win in the 87th minute. It left the home crowd streaming for the exits and the Villa manager once again pondering what went wrong.
Andre’s brother Jordan had given the hosts a second-half lead following a dour first 45 minutes. A scintillating Jack Grealish run picked out Gabby Agbonlahor and his chipped cross found Ayew in space at the far post to power home his first league goal.
But almost as soon as Villa had taken the lead, Swansea hit back through a well-taken Gylfi Sigurdsson free-kick which left goalkeeper Brad Guzan stranded.
You could feel the tension rise inside Villa Park and it was perhaps inevitable the Swans would grab a winner. Further hesitancy in the Villa defence allowed midfielder Ayew to bundle in Kyle Naughton’s superb drilled ball into the box.
The win eased pressure on Swansea boss Garry Monk and heaped problems on a Villa side which remain cut adrift by four points in the relegation zone with games against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Everton all on the horizon.
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Aston Villa (4-3-1-2)
Brad Guzan – 7: Made a crucial save to deny Andre Ayew moments before younger brother Jordan opened the scoring but should have been better positioned for Swansea’s equaliser.
Alan Hutton – 6: Very little end product from the Scotsman when he did get forward to aid Villla’s attacks.
Micah Richards – 5: The Villa skipper lost his cool several times during the game and again in the tunnel after the match which is now subject to an FA investigation. Also conceded the free-kick which led to the Swansea equaliser; his worst game in a claret and blue shirt.
Joleon Lescott – 5: Constantly pulled out of position and missed a golden opportunity to equalise in the closing stages when he blazed a shot over the bar from point-blank range.
Kieran Richardson – 6: Was left exposed by his teammates for the winning goal but was solid enough at the back. Hit a tame free-kick at the keeper.
Leandro Bacuna – 6: Used in a defensive midfield role, the versatile Dutchman’s set-pieces were certainly better than Ashley Westwood’s but he was otherwise largely unspectacular for much of the game.
Idrissa Gana Gueye – 7: Was caught napping for Swansea’s second but generally broke up play well and does add a certain quality to the Villans midfield.
Jordan Ayew – 8: Worked hard all game and opened his Villa account with a clinical headed goal after finding space in the box.
Jack Grealish – 5.5: Produced a great run and pass in the lead-up to the opener but had few other moments of note and was eventually replaced by Gil.
Gabby Agbonlahor – 6: A very impressive assist for Ayew’s goal but prior to that he had wasted a great chance to break the deadlock just after half-time.
Rudy Gestede – 5: Again a passenger for large parts of the game. Couldn’t finish a couple of first-half chances and failed to make his aerial presence count.
Substitutes
Carles Gil – 6: His talent is obvious but for reasons unknown by most of the Villa fanbase, he spends most of his time on the bench.
Adama Traore – N/A: Didn’t get enough time to make an impact.
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