Aston Villa held to goalless draw at Stoke

Mar 13, 2010 - 7:16 PM By CHRIS TUPLING STATS European Football Writer=

LONDON (SE) - Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill watched his side lose ground in the race for fourth place after being held to a goalless draw by Stoke, but insisted it was a point gained and not two dropped.

In a scrappy game of few chances, James Milner went closest for O'Neill's side with a wickedly curling free-kick in the second half.

But while rivals Tottenham romped to a third consecutive Premier League win in Saturday's early kick-off, Villa lost ground and struggled to trouble the scorers against a disciplined and well-organised Stoke.

Speaking after the game, O'Neill preferred to praise his side's defensive display rather than criticising his Villa's lack of a cutting edge.

O'Neill said: "We would love to have won the game but it was never going to be easy.

"Stoke are always very difficult \2013 everyone in the country and probably everyone in Europe knows that \2013 so maybe it was a reasonable outcome.

"There weren't many chances in the game and the wind didn't help matters. It was hard to get a foothold in the game.

"But I thought we defended brilliantly. You know what to expect against stoke, they make things difficult and when they come at you, you have to deal with it and we did.

"It was a game of very few chances and I think the game passed everyone by, but it is still another point gained."

The game's chief talking point was the battle of two enormous throws on either side \2013 Rory Delap's famous projectiles for Stoke, and the newly-discovered artillery of Villa's Spanish defender Carlos Cuellar.

Both produced decent chances for their sides, with Danny Higginbotham twice nodding tamely when well placed from Delap throws, while Stilyan Petrov also spurned a decent chance from one of Cuellar's slightly loopier set-pieces.

A stiff wind made football of any finesse almost impossible to come by, and Stoke boss Tony Pulis seemed equally pleased to escape from the game with a point and clean sheet.

Pulis said: "It was difficult conditions, it was a very windy day and I thought the teams were very honest and committed.

"We have had a three-game week and when you catch a top team in your third game, it is always difficult for you.

"However, I thought we got stronger as the game wore on and I am pleased with the performance of the team. It wasn't a vintage one for the neutrals but it is another point gained.

"We are edging towards that magical 40-point mark and the sooner we get there the better. The fans deserve another season of Premier League football and we will keep working towards that."