Hull City's plight continues as Aston Villa win

New Delhi: Both sides have suffered extended dips in form and have been desperately seeking wins in order to finish strongly.

Prior to referee Mike Dean signalling the start of the game, Aston Villa had gone 12 games without a win.

Hull City too have fallen from grace in the Premier League in as drastic a fashion as they had climbed it during the campaign's genesis.

Phil Brown has mustered maximum point collection on just one occasion in the past 18 league games, for instance, and he was not about to buck that trend this evening.

Martin O'Neill was the man to reverse his side's fortunes as the Villans triumphed by virtue of a slender scoreline of one goal to nothing, due to a first half John Carew close-range effort.

Despite a bright and promising start that saw Ian Ashbee volley just wide of the marker in the second minute, Hull suffered an early blow as Brown was forced into making an early substitution.

Burgeoning attacker James Milner challenged for the ball, along with Ashbee, but both required treatment, and Ashbee in particular failed to shake-off a limp so - even though he tried to return to the action - he was swiftly substituted and Dean Marney took Ashbee's place.

Villa began to find their rhythm in front of their own crowds, and looked threatening from set-play, with Ashley Young beginning to find freedom down the flank. His crossing was sound, and Carew relished on some early lofted box-bound balls.

It was the same combination of Young and Carew that were to team up in the 33rd minute and grant Aston Villa a deserved winner, if a tad contentious. The Norwegian international poked the ball home past Myhill after some good work by Young.

Some sections of the travelling support deemed the movement offside, but there was no delight between the striker and the last man on the line, although his torse was in front. When in doubt, the decision should favour the forward, and so the goal stood.

Brown infamously sat his Tigers down on the pitch at half time earlier in the year to give them a public rollocking, but this time things were more discreet and his chosen words proved to have little immediate effect as the opening 15 minutes of the second half showed Villa to continue to exert their dominance, although they failed to double their advantage.

A late surge from Hull City looked like it had the potential to trouble the midlanders, but a Manucho header, a deflected Boateng shot, and a threatening set-play, were all either saved by Friedel, or blocked by the defence.

With the 1-0 result, Hull continue to loiter precariously close to the danger zone, while Aston Villa usurped Everton to fifth spot and, in so doing, ensured Europa League football for next season.

Line-ups

Aston Villa - Friedel, L Young, Shorey, Davies, Knight, Milner, A Young, Barry, Petrov, Agbonlahor, Carew.

Subs - Guzan, Sidwell, Delfouneso, Heskey, Reo-Coker, Gardner, Clark.

Hull City - Myhill, A Dawson, Ricketts, Turner, Zayatte, Boateng, Geovanni, Kilbane, Ashbee, Garcia, Cousin.

Subs - Duke, Doyle, Barmby, Halmosi, Marney, Featherstone, Manucho.

Goal-scorers - Carew (34).

Referee - Mike Dean.

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