Villa back on track

FA Premiership/Aston Villa  2 Blackburn Rovers 0: Ever since the American billionaire Randy Lerner took over in the summer and Martin O'Neill was installed as manager it has felt like Christmas at Aston Villa, and there were another couple of welcome presents yesterday.

A highly dubious penalty, the sixth Blackburn have conceded this season, and a dreadful defensive mix-up when Zurab Khizanishvili squandered possession on the edge of his penalty area, enabled Villa to bounce back from their defeat last week at Anfield to reclaim a place in the top six.

Villa outplayed Blackburn, exposing the frailties of Mark Hughes's depleted and exhausted squad. Thursday night's Uefa Cup victory over Basle may have placed them on the brink of qualification for the knockout stage, but those three points came at a cost, as Hughes acknowledged.

Gareth Barry's penalty was controversial but the lead was thoroughly deserved. Blackburn could barely muster a meaningful attack, their forays sporadic and devoid of penetration while Villa, whose ability to break quickly and fluently, more often than not through Gabriel Agbonlahor's meandering runs and Chris Sutton's astute link-up play, caused problems time and again.

Not that either of Villa's goals were of their own making. Andre Ooijer's debatable handball - the contact had appeared to be nearer his shoulder - enabled Villa to take the lead before a similar gift was bestowed on Juan Pablo Angel after 51 minutes.

Khizanishvili failed to control Michael Gray's pass and when the central defender managed to dig the ball out, his clearance struck Angel who accepted the invitation, leaving the Georgian in his wake before drilling a right-foot shot into the bottom corner.

Hughes's ire was reserved for the officials, especially over the penalty decision that led to a third straight league defeat.

"They are big decisions, match-changing decisions and you want the referees to be absolutely certain," said Hughes. "Probably the only guy who thought it was a penalty was the assistant referee." Villa, in contrast, march onwards and upwards.