West Bromwich Albion vs. Aston Villa final score: Dreadfully boring 0-0 is a blow to Villa

Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion had a contest with the commentators today to see who could make fans angriest. Villa and West Brom did their part by playing terrible football, and the announcers countered with some of the laziest commentary I've ever heard.

The first half was one of wasted opportunities for Aston Villa. West Brom, as usual, came out looking to kick and run every once in a while but mostly to defend defend defend. Villa actually managed to get a fair bit of possession and managed to get it into dangerous areas. The problem came when the ball got into those dangerous areas and no Villans were around. You know, the story of the season.

There was one particular moment that will leave Villa fans infuriated, as Jordan Ayew was dragged down inside the box in one of the most clear fouls you'll ever see. And he was dragged down while trying to make a move for a goal. The ref saw it and... let play continue. Two weeks in a row Villa have been denied crystal clear penalties, but that's life when your league can't hire competent officials. And it's worth noting that the ref allowed Villa to get away with some jiggery-pokery a bit, too, so it was bad both ways.

The second half was dreadfully boring. Villa looked to have more chances but still couldn't convert. Part of that was up to solid (if not spectacular) defending from Tony Pulis' side, but even more so was a continuing inability to do anything once the ball got into the attacking third. The most notable moment came when Rudy Gestede, on for a largely ineffective Libor Kozak, injured his hamstring and had to be replaced by Jordan Veretout.

And it ended goalless. It was a terrible match and if you watched it, I'm sorry. Villa get a point, and that's better than a loss, but at this point if survival is in the cards, matches like this MUST be wins. A point here is actually a blow to our hope.