You have to wonder whether anyone was listening when Sunderland boss Roy Keane gave his team the lowdown on Villa.

There aren’t too many teams who haven’t been on the receiving end of the Ashley Young set-pieces which have served Villa so well in the Martin O’Neill era.

Only last week it was a harsh lesson Albion discovered to their peril.

So, if there’s one thing you don’t do it’s give Villa a free-kick on the edge of your own area. Never mind two.

That is exactly what the Black Cats did and the outcome was a familiar one: Two free-kicks, two goals, three points. Simple.

Speaking of predictable, Premier League victories are becoming customary for the claret and blue these days. Three straight wins have propelled Villa into third place.

It’s nine long years since the days of John Gregory that they made a start to the season quite as good as this. That season, Villa took 13 points from their first six games.

Let’s hope the fact it was also the last year Villa reached an FA Cup final might also prove to be an omen.

As a word of warning, they ended the season sixth – the same position they’re so eager to beat this year.

Above them back then was who else but Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool – a stark reminder of just how long the rest of the division has been playing catch-up.

Stuck right in the middle of the ‘big four’ a Leeds side managed by a certain David O’Leary. Interestingly, results also compare favourably to last season’s corresponding fixtures.

They have taken an additional point off Liverpool, two more from Manchester City and Tottenham and all three off Sunderland – an extra eight from those four games alone.

It’s proof Villa are making progress. Although there’s no chance of O’Neill getting carried away, there’s no doubt the Villa boss is over the moon with how things are going.

Few things will have pleased him more than the emergence of Stiliyan Petrov as his midfield general.

It was fitting that arguably his finest Villa performance came against the side managed by Keane, the best to ever play the position in the history of the Premier League.

Gareth Barry, John Carew, Ashley Young and Martin Laursen might be Villa’s ‘Fantastic Four’ but if the Bulgarian continues in the same vain as Saturday’s performance that could soon become the ‘Famous Five’.

Bursting with energy, brave in the tackle and brilliant on the ball. It was the complete midfield performance from the Petrov who is now twice the player he was in his first two seasons at the club.

Yet while the former Celtic man was inspired, again this wasn’t Villa at their best.

They were caught cold after going behind within 10 minutes when the influential Steed Malbranque exposed a gaping hole in between Laursen and Curtis Davies by threading a ball through for Djibril Cisse.

His French compatriot nipped in and fired low beyond Brad Friedel. It was no more than the visitors deserved and was just the wake-up call O’Neill’s side needed.

Within eight minutes they were level when Liam Miller did exactly what his boss had warned him and the rest of the Black Cats not to do.

The former Manchester United midfielder’s clumsily bodychecked Ashley Young 20 yards out and the former Watford man picked himself up to curl the resulting free-kick low underneath Craig Gordon and inside the left post.

It was immaculate timing as it took the wind from Sunderland’s sails. A quarter of an hour later the comeback was complete as the Wearsiders paid the price for conceding another set-piece on the edge of their own area.

This time Anton Ferdinand – linked with Villa during the summer – was the guilty party for handling unnecessarily.

Young’s free-kick took a deflection off the wall into the direction of Petrov and his drilled cross was cheekily converted with a nonchalant back-heel by Carew.

It was a goal any striker would have been proud of and provided further evidence the Norwegian is in the thick of a purple patch right now.

Carew believes he’s finally found home at Villa Park after playing in six different countries in eight years and it shows.

It was his fourth goal in six Premier League games this season – a total matched by partner Gabby Agbonlahor and only Wigan new boy Amr Zaki has scored more in the top flight.

Villa never truly kicked on from there. While they had chances to add to their lead in the second half Sunderland could just have easily pulled one back.

Miller’s 30-yard effort flew just over Friedel’s bar, while down the other end the industrious Agbonlahor saw one drilled effort sneak past the post.

O’Neill is the only manager in the Premier League to have named an unchanged line-up for all six games which meant record signing James Milner again had to settle for a cameo role.

The £12m signing made his brightest impact to date. One dangerous cross was headed straight out to Barry 18 yards out who showed textbook technique with a dipping volley which flew narrowly over Gordon’s bar. It would have been a sure goal of the month contender.

There was still time for one close shave in the final minutes, when substitute Andy Reid curled a free-kick inches past the post. It would have certainly beat Friedel.

Not a classic display but winning sure isn’t a bad habit – as the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson will testify.

The three points will be sure to have restored any confidence lost in the midweek defeat to QPR – but next Sunday’s trip to Chelsea will provide the biggest test yet of just how far this Villa side has come.