Unfortunately there was only one streak brought to an end at Villa Park yesterday as the naked truth about Villa’s home form was laid bare.

A second-half pitch invader – minus clothes – was eventually stopped by Villa’s stewards.

But Alex McLeish was unable to put an end to the claret and blues’ shocking home form against a Manchester City side who barely broke sweat despite a few late jitters.

A 3-2 win over Norwich City on November 5 was the last time Villa won on their own turf and McLeish has overseen the longest winless run in 20 years of Premier League football at the club.

It is a worrying slide and one he must address in their next home game before the talk turns to relegation and the hundred or so protesters who aired their views before kick-off outside the ground find their numbers swelled.

That the biggest cheer of the game from the home fans came from the emergence of the streaker is a sad indictment of how things have been allowed to slide on their patch.

Despite a few injuries and their current form, Villa still posses the bare necessities to avoid the drop and McLeish will be given time to strip unwanted dead wood from the squad.

Certainly, now is not the time to cast judgement over the Scot’s reign despite this poor run.

Understandably, supporters were frustrated by a perceived lack of attacking verve from Villa in the final third of the pitch, especially in the first half.

And it contrasted sharply with the performance in Villa’s 1-0 win over City last season when Gerard Houllier – who attended a match at Villa Park for the first time yesterday since he left the club –  threw off the shackles and went for broke.

But McLeish, wary of the damage a humiliating defeat could do to his team’s morale, insisted that the opposition dictated a more conservative approach as he tried to mirror the tactics Everton had used to beat City a few weeks ago.

“We had a game plan and I thought the players did really well in executing it,” said the Villa boss.

“If you open up early and leave yourself wide open against City, they will destroy you.

“You saw Everton a few weeks ago and they were very similar.

“You have to keep them at nil to have a chance to win the game.

“Stating that, they scored and then had three or four chances.

“They were from corners and we never made full use of corners in the first half the way we did in the second, up to a point.

“I thought the players executed the plan really well and the discipline was fantastic,” added McLeish.

“We were never going to go gung-ho against City because we just don’t have the players to do that.”

McLeish made four chances from the side which lost 2-1 at Newcastle as Marc Albrighton and James Collins both overcame recent injury problems to replace Stephen Warnock and Charles N’Zogbia, who were named among the substitutes.

Gary Gardner and Emile Heskey were both recalled to the starting line-up with Ciaran Clark ruled out through injury while Stephen Ireland was also on the bench.

City bossed the first period and Sergio Aguero was unlucky not to give the visitors the lead early on when he combined with David Silva before striking a low shot which Shay Given gathered at the second attempt.

Silva carved open the Villa defence in the 18th minute but his low, curling shot was saved by Given while Adam Johnson was allowed too much space 10 minutes later and his fizzing shot struck the post.

Unsurprisingly, Villa’s failings from corners were exposed as City – despite all the marvellous approach play from Aguero and Silva – found the net from a flag-kick after the interval.

Roberto Mancini’s side top the rankings for the number of goals scored from corners while McLeish’s men have leaked the most. It was inevitable.

James Milner swung in a dangerous corner-kick to the back post which fellow Villa old boy Gareth Barry deftly headed back across goal. Joleon Lescott hooked the ball home from close range to finish in style.

Villa created a flurry of opportunities as they pressed for an equaliser late in the match.

But Carlos Cuellar headed over from an unmarked position and Darren Bent saw his close-range effort saved by City keeper Joe Hart as the visitors hung on for the three points.

By Timohty Abraham