Darren Bent hit the winner for Aston Villa yesterday against Manchester City. This was after an eventful week when a feud between Bent’s former manager Steve Bruce and current manager Gerard Houllier had erupted around the sale of Bent's transfer from Sunderland to Aston Villa last week.
Steve Bruce suggested that Aston Villa had approached Darren Bent long before the deal went through and is not happy on how Gerard Houllier went about pursuing Darren Bent after the striker handed in a written transfer request.
Gerard Houllier hailed the striker, scoring on is debut and repaying a slice of 24m Villa paid for his service after media critics were baffled by the move suggesting that he’s not worth that much.
Speaking after the game, Houllier said; "I thought the boy handled the pressure very well."
"The finish was that of a natural-born finisher, something you cannot teach somebody. That is what he is here for."
The England striker hit the only goal of the game yesterday when Manchester City’s Joe Hart could only parry Ashley Young’s shot into the path of Bent, who was on hand to tap in the rebound on his debut.
The striker said; "People questioned why I joined this football club but look at the players around me," said the striker, who was watched at Villa Park by England manager Fabio Capello.
"Ashley Young, Gabby Agbonlahor, Mark Albrighton and Stewart Downing are all players that can create chances out of nothing and as a striker you want that kind of service,"
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