Five-star Villa turned on the style as the claret and blues returned to winning ways by hammering Bolton.

Ashley Young and Gabby Agbonlahor strikes put Villa two up, before the Trotters halved the deficit with a freak goal from substitute Johan Elmander just before the break.

But Martin O’Neill’s men responded with a second-half blitz with John Carew, James Milner and Carlos Cuellar all on target.

It was certainly a happy homecoming for the home side, who are unbeaten at Villa Park since the opening day defeat to Wigan, after picking up just two points from their recent run of three consecutive Premier League away games.

James Collins was a surprise omission from the side with a groin problem, meaning Cuellar was switched to centre-back with Luke Young drafted in at right-back for his first start of the season.

Milner was passed fit to play, while Nigel Reo-Coker came in for the suspended Stiliyan Petrov and was handed the captaincy in the Bulgarian’s absence.

Villa flew out of the starting blocks and could easily have gone ahead in the fourth minute when a Cuellar glancing header from an Ashley Young corner forced a fine reaction save from Trotters goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen.

But it took just another minute for the claret and blues to forge ahead.

Jaaskelainen could only palm Carew’s downward header into the path of Ashley Young and the winger crashed the rebound into the roof of the net.

It could easily have been two when Agbonlahor spun beleaguered ex-Villan Zat Knight on 18 only to fire just over the bar. But three minutes before the break Agbonlahor had his goal after rolling home Carew’s cutback.

But Villa Park was stunned into silence just a minute before the break, when Bolton pulled one back against the run of play in controversial circumstances.

Agbonlahor was rather harshly penalised for a foul deep in the Trotters half and the free-kick was punted upfield to former Villa defender Gary Cahill.

His shot deflected off Richard Dunne and looped over Friedel onto the post, bouncing straight to the unmarked Elmander to fire into the empty net.

But O’Neill’s side soon restored their two-goal advantage, when Carew steamrollered his way past Knight and Cahill – both of whom had disastrous returns to their former stomping ground – to fire beyond Jaaskelainen.

Villa looked dangerous every time they went forward and it was no surprise when they made it four on 52 minutes ith what was surely the most bizarre goal of the weekend.

Carew was brought down inside the box and after much discussion it was decided Milner would take the penalty.

His meek effort was pushed into the path of Steve Sidwell but the midfielder could only fire against the post – only for the ball to rebound back to Milner who made no mistake at the second attempt.

The rout was complete on 75 when Carlos Cuellar scored his first Villa goal, deftly glancing James Milner’s cross inside the right post.