Villa held in Stoke stalemate (From Crewe Guardian)

Villa held in Stoke stalemate

5:21pm Saturday 13th March 2010 in

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Aston Villa missed the chance to reduce their deficit in the race for the final Champions League place after being held to a goalless draw at Stoke.

The Britannia Stadium has become a tough venue for most visiting sides but for a team with aspirations of mixing it with Europe's elite next season Villa did not test goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen nearly enough.

The closest they came to making a breakthrough was three minutes after half-time when Stewart Downing's shot inadvertently deflected off team-mate John Carew but hit the side-netting with Sorensen wrong-footed.

The first shot on target came in the 27th minute when Stiliyan Petrov's low drive from outside the penalty area was saved low to his left by Sorensen.

Just after half-time Villa almost opened the scoring when Downing advanced before unleashing a shot which had Sorensen diving to his left before the ball deflected off Carew and flew into the near-post side-netting.

Thirteen minutes into the second half Tony Pulis' double substitution did not please the home side but it was at least a positive move.

Britannia favourite Tuncay was replaced by Ricardo Fuller and Mamady Sidibe by Dave Kitson as Stoke's front two were changed.

Fuller's cross-shot from the left had Brad Friedel at full stretch to tip it away from the run of Glen Whelan as Stoke upped the tempo in the last quarter of the match.

Petrov became Villa's fifth booking for a body-check on Matthew Etherington and from the resulting free-kick James Collins' desperate block deflected Fuller's 10-yard shot over the crossbar.

Stoke defender Robert Huth could have snatched a win in the final minute but headed Etherington's corner over.