In a quest for survival, Tim Sherwood watched his side squeak out a late win over local rivals West Brom.
A late spot-kick from Christian Benteke sealed the 3 points for Aston Villa as they climb out of the relegation zone, now on 25 points. Gabby Agbonlahor opened the scoring before England starlet Saido Berahino equalised in the 2nd half but the winner came in the dying embers of the affair as Benteke slotted home from the penalty spot.
It was almost the worst possible start for the away side as Agbonlahor swiveled in the area and hit a shot straight at Ben Foster but the ball squirmed under his body, inches away from crossing the line. Despite saving his blushes, Foster would eventually conceded after 22 minutes as Agbonlahor beat the offside trap and cooly slid his effort underneath the West Brom goalkeeper. A first goal in 14 Premier League games for Gabby Agbonlahor and how crucial it would prove to be. Agbonlahor almost grabbed his 2nd of the match just six minutes later, again racing in behind the West Brom defence before poking it past Foster but luckily for Tony Pulis and co., Lescott was able to clear it off the line. Aston Villa were the much better side in the first half, controlling things from kickoff and having the majority of the chances. Right on the stroke of halftime, Fabian Delph almost snatched that all important 2nd goal but his curling effort was denied by the post.
Half Time: Aston Villa 1-0 West Brom: Agbonlahor's opener gives Villa a deserved lead at the break.
West Brom failed to test Brad Guzan until the 67th minute and the American didn't pass as Berahino equalised for the Baggies. Joleon Lescott managed to latch onto the end of a corner, heading it back into the mix where Saido Berahino finished from close range. An undeserving goal for the most part and a poor one to give away. Perhaps one of the biggest talking points of the day was Alan Hutton's challenge on West Brom's goalscorer, Berahino. The defender completely missed the ball, catching Berahino in his privates, infuriating the young striker. Both players were shown a yellow for the aftermath but Hutton will be counting his lucky stars that his card was only yellow. It was then Hutton who had a hand in the late drama as his cross was fumbled by Foster, the 'keeper the flapped at the rebound before bringing down Lowton with seconds to go. Christian Benteke stepped up and slotted in the penalty as cool as you like, giving his side a huge result to build on as they fight relegation.
Full Time: Aston Villa 2-1 West Brom: A very deserving win for Tim Sherwood's side as they pull it out of the bag late, climbing out of the bottom three.
| Aston Villa (2) | West Brom (1) | ||
 |  |  |  |
| Guzan | 5 | Foster | 4 |
| Okore | 6 | Dawson | 5 |
| Hutton | 5 | McAuley | 5 |
| Clark | 6 | Lescott | 6 |
| Lowton | 7 | Brunt | 5 |
| Westwood | 6 | Morrison | 5 |
| Cleverley | 6 | Yacob | 5 |
| Delph (c) | 6 | Fletcher | 5 |
| Agbonlahor | 8 | Gardner | 5 |
| N'Zogbia | 6 | Ideye | 5 |
| Benteke | 7 | Berahino | 7 |
| Subs | |||
| Grealish | 6 | Baird | - |
| Bacuna | 5 | ||
| Weimann | - | ||