ASTON VILLA 3 EVERTON 2: SHAY Given’s return to the Aston Villa goal for a first Premier League appearance since August 2012 might have been the major talking point ahead of kick-off here, yet by the conclusion of this match the source of discussion came, once again, at the opposite end of the field.

MANCHESTER CITY 3 ASTON VILLA 2: SHOWING far more impressive defensive instincts than those displayed by his players during the preceding 90 minutes, Manuel Pellegrini launched his most articulate and spirited analysis yet of a season of under-achievement at the Etihad.

ASTON VILLA 2 LIVERPOOL 1: While destiny had apparently pointed to Steven Gerrard seeing out his Liverpool career with an appearance in the FA Cup final, reality intervened and delivered a very different narrative.

Tottenham 0 Aston VIlla 1:

Premier League

Aston Villa 1 Stoke City 2: Tim Sherwood has admitted that losing his first game as Aston Villa boss is one of the lowest points of his career.

FA Cup Fifth Round: Aston Villa 2 Leicester City 1: Scott Marshall revealed Tim Sherwood’s half-time pep talk inspired Aston Villa to the FA Cup quarter finals.

Team news for tonight's Premier League games .

Aston Villa 1 Chelsea 2: This felt like a defining day in the destiny of this season’s Premier League title race.

Team news for the 3pm Premier League games

All the team news from around the grounds ahead of Week 24 in the Premier League.

Spurs fans tweets backfire as Arsenal hit top form, writes Bernard Azulay.

All the team news from around the grounds ahead of Week 21 in the Premier League.

Aston Villa 0 Crystal Palace 0

Sunderland 0 Aston Villa 0

Aston Villa held Sunderland to a 0-0 draw despite going down to 10 men for the third time in four games.

Swansea 1 Aston Villa 0

As we approach the halfway point of the Premier League season we reflect on the ups and downs, successes and failures of the last five months.

Aston Villa 1 Manchester United 1

West Brom 1 Aston Villa 0

Paul Lambert has tipped Ireland’s Ciaran Clark to push for regular first-team football, even when Aston Villa solve their defensive injury crisis.

Aston Villa 1 Tottenham 2

Premier League

Everton 3 Aston Villa 0

Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert has named an unchanged XI for today’s Barclays Premier League home clash with Newcastle.

All the team news from around the grounds ahead of Week 2 in the Premier League - more to follow as it comes in.

PREMIER LEAGUE:

10 teams are starting their Premier League campaigns this afternoon.

Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert has reported he could have injured strikers Christian Benteke and Libor Kozak back available in “a few weeks”.

Goalkeepers are often the butt of jokes and the subject of fan fury but in this World Cup final they came into their own, finally taking back some of the spotlight from the strikers.

Team of the tournament

The Netherlands first penalty of the shoot-out against Argentina came this close to being a goal.

Sergio Romero came back to haunt Louis van Gaal as Argentina beat Holland on penalties to reach the World Cup final.

Argentina 0 Netherlands 0. (AET) (Argentina win 4-2 on penalties)

THE BANNER held up in the Argentine end depicted Pope Francis with his disciples on either side.

Netherlands 0 Costa Rica 0 - Netherlands win on penalties

Netherlands 2 Mexico 1

Netherlands 2 Mexico 1

WORLD CUP GROUP B:

Roy Keane has put the boot into England’s World Cup hopes, insisting the players are "in for a massive shock" and won’t be able to handle the conditions in Brazil.

Tottenham 3 Aston Villa 0

Manchester City 4 Aston Villa 0

Striker Gabriel Agbonlahor is a major doubt for Aston Villa’s trip to Manchester City.

Aston Villa 3 Hull City 1