Blackburn Rovers 2 Aston Villa 0:A DECADE after his death, they formally said goodbye to the man with the rheumy eyes whose name lingers in the statues, stands and roads in and around Blackburn Rovers. Although this victory marked the first game under the stewardship of the Indian poultry company Venky's, which bought out his trust fund last week, Ewood Park roused itself for a chorus of "There's only one Jack Walker".

They then greeted a victory secured by a man who has come to epitomise Blackburn since Walker’s death; a club that is never likely to storm the commanding heights of the Premier League again but which can never be taken lightly. His manager, Sam Allardyce, remarked that when he ran Bolton he would spend “three or four days” analysing how to stop Morten Gamst Pedersen. One of the few footballers born within the Arctic Circle no longer storms down the wings but Aston Villa seldom came to terms with his long throws and free-kicks and suffered accordingly.

Gerard Houllier has enjoyed enough one-off successes against Sir Alex Ferguson to recognise the maxim that a flatness often follows a good performance against Manchester United. These were largely the same young players who had deserved rather more than a draw at Villa Park nine days ago and, although Ashley Young struck the bar and both he and Stewart Downing stung Paul Robinson’s gloves, they were not the same.

“Sometimes a young side will play without fear and sometimes they will make mistakes,” Houllier said with a sigh.

The Aston Villa manager would have been rather more emotive during the half-time interval. As it approached, Houllier expected Villa to score first and that he would have to make only minor tactical adjustments during the break. However, Stephen Warnock, who had been engaged in a running spat with El Hadji Diouf, chose that moment to take the forward’s feet from beneath him. Pedersen took a free-kick that was meant for Ryan Nelsen but which Brad Friedel realised too late was heading for the top corner of his net.

When Ashley Young struck the frame of Robinson’s goal, it seemed Villa might recover but their failure to clear a corner from Diouf had predictable consequences. Pascal Chimbonda’s shot may have been blocked but Nelsen played the ricochet back in and Pedersen stabbed it home.

Had Diouf not squandered two late opportunities, this might have been an emphatic scoreline.

Pedersen’s deliveries, free-kicks, long-throws and corners tormented Brad Friedel throughout.

Guardian Service