The Independent
Villa benefit from lucky penalty to keep fourth spot within sight
Squeaky Brum time in the Second City derby. James Milner held his nerve to convert a fiercely disputed late penalty yesterday, giving Aston Villa an undeserved victory over Birmingham City and keeping alive their hopes of a crack at the Champions League.
The Guardian
Birmingham curse late Milner penalty as Aston Villa keep in hunt for fourth
Oh the irony. Having complained bitterly about referees over the past couple of months and the part he believes they have played in Aston Villa's two defeats at Wembley this season, Martin O'Neill was on the receiving end of a highly fortunate decision here when Martin Atkinson erroneously awarded his side a late penalty kick that James Milner converted to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
The Telegraph
Aston Villa 1 Birmingham City 0
Those who feared that Aston Villa’s challenge for fourth place had already expired were rewarded with signs of life yesterday. A full-blooded performance against local rivals Birmingham delivered the message in no uncertain terms that this side were by no means done yet, even if they did require a contentious penalty awarded late on by referee Martin Atkinson for Roger Johnson’s tackle on Gabriel Agbonlahor to get the job done.
The Times
James Milner spot on as Aston Villa win derby
If you had offered Martin O’Neill qualification for the Champions League ahead of Wembley glory this season, the Aston Villa manager would have acquiesced. With the “dubious penalties” count starting to balance out yesterday, that possibility remains alive after James Milner converted the spot-kick that took his team above Manchester City and level on points with Tottenham Hotspur in fourth place in the Barclays Premier League..