The England player pulled off several fine saves and survived his only error when he lost possession under pressure from Villa striker John Carew. A share of the spoils moved the Hammers above Wolves and Hull and out of the bottom three. Zola quipped: "Robert Green was outstanding apart from one moment when my heart stopped for a few seconds, fortunately not long enough to damage my brain! "That is already damaged! But, in all seriousness, Robert's performance was really excellent and he was back to his normal sort of standard." Zola also praised Villa skipper Stiliyan Petrov for helping to ensure Hammers midfielder Radoslav Kovac escaped a red card after a reckless challenge on the Bulgaria international. Kovac had already been booked but Petrov leapt quickly to his feet rather than make the most of the situation. It led to Kovac being given a final warning by referee Mick Jones via Hammers skipper Matthew Upson and he was substituted shortly afterwards. Zola said: "I took Kovac off as a precaution. The referee told our skipper (Upson) that probably the next tackle was going to result in a sending-off so we took no chance. "I also have to congratulate Petrov for his part because he is a fair person and a fair player. "But I think, to be honest, the first booking was a little bit harsh because it wasn't a foul. Maybe the referee levelled up everything." Zola admitted: "To be out of the bottom three is massive but also picking up a point at Villa Park is not an easy task so that will give the players a big, big boost of confidence."
