Aston Villa 0-1 Burnley
by Simon Williams
at Villa Park

Danny Ings scored the only goal of the game yesterday as Burnley ended their one season stay in the Premier League with victory over FA Cup finalists Aston Villa.

The England under-21 striker (pictured), who has been linked with a move away from Turf Moor following Burnley’s relegation to the Championship, scored the only goal of the game after six minutes.

The Clarets went into the game having only lost one of the last nine league meetings between the two sides, a 5-2 defeat at Villa Park in February 2010.

However Villa were vying to register three successive home victories in the league for the first time in nearly eight years.

And they had an opportunity to open the scoring in the early stages of the game, Nathan Baker heading a Fabian Delph free-kick just wide of Tom Heaton’s goal.

But as a chorus of “Que Sera, Sera” rang out around Villa Park with an FA Cup Final meeting with Arsenal less than a week away, Ings gave the away side the lead.

Ashley Barnes nodded a Fredrick Ulvestad ball across the penalty box for Ings to power it past a helpless Jed Steer.

From then on the home side attempted to get a hold on the game but lacked any real composure in the final third with several balls into the box failing to reach their intended target Christian Benteke.

Ron Vlaar had a good chance to draw his side level, smashing a shot wide following a Leandro Bacuna knockdown from another Delph free-kick.

But Burnley looked to extend their lead and finish their season on a high.

Ings had a good chance after excellent work from George Boyd down the right wing. The Scotland International twisted and turned before delivering a superb cross that Ings volleyed wide.

The Villans came again towards the end of the first-half but despite a couple of half-chances from Benteke and a 25-yard effort from Ashley Westwood they failed to cause the Burnley defence any real problems.

The second half continued in the same vein for the home side and as they pressed for an equaliser they found Heaton, who has recently been called up to Roy Hodgson’s England squad for the matches against the Republic of Ireland and the European Qualifier in Slovenia, in superb form keeping out good efforts from Charles N’Zogbia and Delph respectively.