Wanderers 1, ASTON VILLA 0

WANDERERS

4-3-3

JUSSI JAASKELAINEN ... 8

His sensational late save crowned a solid, confidence-inspiring performance.

BRUNO N'GOTTY ... 8

Sound defending, good anticipation and excellent distribution.

MIKE WHITLOW ... 8

Handled everything Villa had to offer with their varied front line.

GUDNI BERGSSON ... 8

Hadn't trained for a fortnight and needed an injection at the end ... what a hero!

SIMON CHARLTON ... 6

So unlucky to come worse off in a 50-50 ; left the field in considerable pain.

PER FRANDSEN ... 7

Prominent and productive in the first half, less so after the break.

PAUL WARHURST ... 7

Was playing so well before his premature exit; denied by a super Enckelman save.

KEVIN NOLAN ... 7

Worked hard, as instructed, to keep the Villa midfield in check.

HENRIK PEDERSEN ... 7

A 'goal' disallowed, won the penalty ... and should have scored.

YOURI DJORKAEFF ... 9

Makes the game look so easy at times - played a big part in all the best moves.

MICHAEL RICKETTS ... 8

Confidence personified converting the penalty; had a real spring in his step.

Subs: Ricardo Gardner (7) for Charlton 32 mins, Anthony Barness (7) for Warhurst 39 mins. Not used: Bernard Mendy, Dean Holdsworth, Kevin Poole.

ASTON VILLA

4-3-3

PETER ENCKELMAN ... 7

MARK DELANEY ... 7

OLAF MELLBERG ... 6

STEVE STAUNTON ... 8

ALAN WRIGHT ... 7

LEE HENDRIE ... 6

MARK KINSELLA ... 6

GARETH BARRY ... 7

DARIUS VASSELL ... 6

JUAN PABLO ANGEL ... 6

PETER CROUCH ... 7

Subs: Ulises de la Cruz (6) for Vassell 45 mins, J Lloyd Samuel (6) for Wright 64 mins, Marcus Allback (6) for Crouch 64 mins. Not used: Thomas Hitzlsperger, Stefan Postma.

Referee: Steve Dunn (Bristol)

Attendance: 22,501.

Goals: Ricketts (pen) 55 mins.

Shots/headers on target: Wanderers 4, Villa 4.

Corners: Wanderers 4, Villa 4.

Offsides: Wanderers 5, Villa 5.

Fouls committed: Wanderers 14, Villa 12.

Bookings: Wanderers - Pedersen 77 mins (diving), Ricketts 82 mins (foul on Delaney); Villa - Enckelman 54 mins (foul on Pedersen), Angel 60 mins (foul on N'Gotty), Hendrie 85 mins (foul on Frandsen).

Man of the Match

YOURI DJORKAEFF

THE Maestro modestly took the praise and plaudits with a shrug of the shoulders, suggesting "It is normal!" Nothing out of the ordinary for him, it seems, but special as far as Wanderers were concerned. He was involved in all the best moves.

Moan of the Match

THE points were in the bag but Big Sam was right to moan about missed chances; not quite as many as were missed in the Charlton game and not with the same disastrous consequences, but chances nevertheless, which would have saved some anxious moments late on.

Magic Moment

JAASKELAINEN'S stunning late save did as much to secure the victory as Ricketts' penalty. Going to his left to cover Samuel's shot, the Mighty Finn was wrong-footed by the deflection off Bergsson ... but still managed to get a hand to the ball.

KICK BY KICK

4 mins: Vassell fires into the side-netting racing in at the back post on the end of Barry's deep cross.

7 mins: N'Gotty feeds Pedersen and the Dane's cross for Ricketts looks good until Staunton nips in.

15 mins: Nolan tees up Warhurst whose carefully-placed left-footer forces Enckelman into a smart one-handed save.

28 mins: Djorkaeff conjures up a header that drifts narrowly wide from Warhurst's lobbed cross.

35 mins: Jaaskelainen has an uncomfortable few seconds, awkwardly punching away Hendrie's shot then having to stretch to palm away Vassell's cross-shot

Half-time: Wanderers 0, Villa 0.

46 mins: Pedersen races in to force the ball over the line but the 'goal' is disallowed for handball.

48 mins: Bergsson darts in sharpish to block Crouch's shot as Villa manufacture an opening.

51 mins: Pedersen is out of luck again, firing a left-footer inches wide after a Ricketts knockdown.

GOAL!

55 mins: It's Ricketts from the spot after Enckelman brings down Pedersen as the Dane races onto Djorkaeff's through ball.

61 mins: Ricketts muscles in between Staunton and Delaney to get in a header than drifts just wide.

63 mins: Brimming with confidence, Ricketts is just too high with his shot after Djorkaeff produces the pass of the match to beat Staunton.

65 mins: Allback's first touch deflect's Kinsella's shot away from the target.

66 mins: Angel thinks he has beaten offside appeals but his 'goal' is disallowed after a late flag.

70 mins: De la Cruz loops a header just over the bar.

89 mins: Barry's snapshot skids inches wide of the post.

90 mins: Hearts stop as Samuel's shot deflects off Bergsson and looks like going in until Jaaskelainen adjusts and makes a sensational save.

91 mins: Pedersen gets a chance to calm the nerves but shoots over.

Full-time: Wanderers 1, Villa 0.