Sky Sports: Brad Friedel has hinted that he could continue playing beyond his current Aston Villa contract. The American goalkeeper will turn 38 at the end of this season but he persists in impressing in the Premier League. Friedel - who set an English record of 167 successive league appearances with Saturday's outing at Fulham - has two-and-a-half years to run on his existing deal at Villa Park. However, the former Liverpool and Blackburn player, who will be 40 when those terms expire, has indicated that he will consider his options when his present agreement comes to an end.

Mirror: Make no mistake, Villa should have won on Saturday but Gareth Barry and Steve Sidwell wasted Ashley Young's stream of crosses. But let's put a spoonful of sugar into the nasty medicine: Villa are a fine club with a proud tradition, they have a jewel of a manager in Martin O'Neill and their core of English players is a model for clubs obsessed with shopping in foreign hypermarkets.

Sun: Gabby Agbonlahor is playing as a lone striker, supported by Ashley Young and James Milner. The combination is exciting and dangerous when it works - the win at Arsenal for example. But Villa are finding it harder and harder, at home especially, to break down sides who arrive with a defence-first strategy.

Star: The worrying thing about Martin O'Neill's men these days is that they seem to struggle putting the less glamorous sides to bed. Stoke, Middlesbrough, Newcastle and now Fulham have all proved unconquerable obstacles.

Daily Express: Villa's home form is causing some concern. Goalless against Portsmouth, edging out Blackburn, losing to Middlesbrough, honourably goalless against Manchester United and now this.

Daily Mail: Martin O'Neill admitted he needs to go striker shopping in January after John Carew's importance to Villa was underlined. The giant Norwegian was forced to watch a succession of inviting crosses fail to be diverted accurately towards Fulham's goal as Villa's top-four aspirations were seriously undermined.

Birmingham Post: Martin O'Neill attributed Aston Villa's failure to climb to third in the Premier League to their profligacy in front of goal after the goalless draw with Fulham.