Attack best defence for Villa

Aston Villa 4 Bolton Wanderers 0

It may be a hackneyed expression, but as far as Villa are concerned attack is very much the best form of defence.

Whatever else can be said about Martin O’Neill’s men, they are not a team who are content with half measures.

The team’s biggest single concern in recent times has been their inability to keep a clean sheet.

Conceding at least one goal appeared almost obligatory – and before Saturday Villa had obliged in 19 consecutive matches.

But what happens when they prevent the opposition from scoring? They win convincingly.

Rewind to late November and you will find emphatic back-to-back victories over Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers, with seven goals scored and none conceded.

Now we have four without reply against Bolton Wanderers.

If Villa can follow up this demolition job with a similar display at Derby County next Saturday, supporters might have to start searching for their passports.

Even if a direct passage to the UEFA Cup is something of a tall order, a sneaky back-door route via the InterToto Cup is a distinct possibility if this form can be maintained in the remaining five games of the season.

If the month of March brought only misery, with just two points gathered from a possible 15, there was a spring back in Villa’s step on the first weekend of April.

Skipper Gareth Barry was on target twice without the aid of penalty and also made the other two goals; Gabby Agbonlahor ended his 13-game drought with a truly magnificent effort; Marlon Harewood claimed his first goal on home soil with a late header which had the already buoyant Holte End in raptures.

It really was an afternoon to savour, even allowing for the fact that Gary Megson’s outfit offered frail resistance.

We have become accustomed to physical, unattractive games against Bolton these past few years, with the visitors usually grinding out a draw or a hard-earned win.

Indeed, you have to go back to New Year’s Day 2003 for Villa’s previous win in this fixture, but this time it was very much a stroll against the Trotters, who were so feeble and dispirited that relegation looked inevitable.

Not that Villa should concern themselves unduly with the failings of their opponents.

Right now, everyone in the claret-and-blue camp should be looking to move further up the Premier League table after giving themselves what should be a perfect platform for the rest of the campaign.

The opening minutes, to be fair, were littered with nervous errors as Villa attempted to put their recent poor form behind them.

What on earth Martin Laursen was doing when he hoisted the ball into the air on the edge of his own penalty area only he will know, while Olof Mellberg merely compounded the problem when he attempted to head back to goalkeeper Scott Carson and found Kevin Davies instead.

Had Danny Guthrie made better use of Davies’ pass, rather than firing yards wide, we may have been relating a different tale. As it was, Villa’s nerves were settled when they went ahead shortly afterwards.

Ashley Young, a constant menace down either flank, cleverly skipped over a Davies challenge on the left-hand touchline and then checked his run to provide a right-foot cross which Barry headed across goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi and into the opposite corner of the net.

As if to make amends for his early lapse, Laursen almost increased the lead on 38 minutes with an angled shot which struck the outside of a post, although Villa had to ensure some uneasy moments at the start of the second half before effectively wrapping up the points with a superbly-executed second goal.

Wilfred Bouma instigated the move with a pass out of defence to Carew, who played it sideways to Young on the halfway line.

While this was happening, Barry made a perfect run down the left to receive Young’s perfectly-weighted ball before delivering a low cross towards the six-yard box.

It was a build up of outstanding vision and movement, and Agbonlahor was only too happy to provide the coup de gras as he got in front of Matt Taylor to flick the ball past Al Habsi with the outside of his boot.

In a campaign when there have been numerous contenders for the club’s Goal of the Season, that one should definitely be added to the list – and it provided the springboard for some delightful football over the final half hour or so.

Villa’s dominance was never more amply demonstrated than when they scored their third goal four minutes later. Stiliyan Petrov’s awareness and

Agbonlahor’s pace set up an opportunity for Nigel Reo-Coker, whose fierce 18-yard shot was turned aside by Al Habsi.

And even though Barry’s corner was initially cleared, the home side quickly regained possession, Young’s shot rebounding off a defender into the path of Barry, whose shot may have taken a deflection but was surely going in anyway.

The captain may even have claimed a hat-trick when he met a Carew centre with a firm header which carried plenty of power but was too close to the keeper.

As it is, he will have no complaints at scoring with a header and a shot from outside the area after his other five goals this season had all been converted from 12 yards.

Ultimately, it was left to super sub Marlon Harewood to provide the finishing touch to a comprehensive and welcome victory.

The former West Ham striker has now scored four league goals – each one of them after joining the action from the bench – and this was most definitely the sweetest.

The others, plus one against Wrexham in the Carling Cup, had all been scored in away matches.

This one, a glancing header from Barry’s curling free-kick, was right in front of ecstatic Holte Enders.