Carabao Cup: Burton Albion 1 Aston Villa 0 - Report and pictures

There are simply no circumstances where defeat to Burton Albion does not deliver a severe blow to the club's collective pride, not even with an experimental team, or in a competition which clearly comes a long way down the list of priorities for Steve Bruce and his players.

Liam Boyce's deflected 51st minute strike, coupled with goalkeeper Harry Campbell's late heroics, earned the Brewers a place in the third round of the Carabao Cup and, more importantly, a first-ever competitive victory over their more vaunted and wealthy opponents from down the A38.

Campbell, on as a substitute for the injured Stephen Bywater for the first senior appearance of his career, saved Albert Adomah's 88th spot-kick to condemn Villa to a defeat fully deserved.

A draw - and a possible reprieve in a penalty shoot-out - would still not have disguised a thoroughly below-par display. Campbell was not forced into a serious save until the final five minutes as a much-changed Villa team laboured badly against their League One hosts.

The repercussions of this defeat may take time to become apparent. Villa remain unbeaten in the league. Yet these are the kinds of nights on which fanbases can begin to turn and the visiting supporters, who made up almost half of the total crowd, did not hide their disgust at the final whistle.

Bruce had promised big changes for what was Villa's seventh game in 23 days.

The manager was good to his word, with Axel Tuanzebe and Anwar El Ghazi the only two players to keep their place from the team which drew 1-1 with Reading on Saturday.

Just as in the previous round at Yeovil, Tommy Elphick was named with captain, with goalkeeper Andre Moreira and wideman Ritchie De Laet also handed their first outings since the 1-0 win at Huish Park. Midfielder Henri Lansbury, meanwhile made his first appearance of the campaign to date.

While the number of changes were no surprise, the manner in which the team lined-up certainly was, with James Bree partnering Elphick in the heart of defence and Tuanzebe stationed in a midfield holding role.

The ultimate result, perhaps unsurpringly, was a thoroughly disjoined performance from the visitors, though they still managed more attempts on goal than the similarly insipid hosts during an opening half which tested the patience of the near sell-out crowd.

It says much that the most notable moments of the first 45 minutes were substitutions, with the home side losing two players - including goalkeeper Stephen Bywater - with barely half-an-hour played.

Skipper John Brayford was the first to be forced off after just ten minutes, while Bywater followed on 31 minutes, having picked up a knock in an earlier aerial challenge with Albert Adomah.

His replacement, Harry Campbell, still had very little to do before the half-time whistle blew.

Tuanzebe had the first shot of the game, for either team, four minutes prior to the break, though even that flew well wide of the target. When, two minutes later, Lansbury sent the ball flying over the stand and on to the car park, there were doubtless some in the ground hoping it would not be returned.

Burton boss Nigel Clough made his final change of the night at the interval. It took the new man, Marcus Harness, just two minutes to register the home side's first shot of the night, with a long-range effort which whistled a couple of yards over the bar.

Fraser also fired off target before playing a major role as the Brewers made the breakthrough six minutes into the half.

Villa lost possession in the middle of the pitch and Fraser released Boyce with a perfectly-weighted through ball. The striker had just Moreira to beat and did so with the help of a deflection of Elphick, which sent it up and beyond the keeper and into the far corner.

Villa had their moments in attack as they looked for a route back. But Hourihane hit a cross too far in front of an unmarked Rushian Hepburn-Murphy, while the latter was then unable to locate Adomah with a pass after getting in behind the home defence.

Bruce removed Elphick and introduced Ahmed Elmohamady from a bench which featured exclusively defensive-minded players.

With ten minutes to go, Tuanzebe got his head to a Hourihane free-kick but with his back to goal was only able to direct the ball away from danger. It was a moment which summed up his team's attacking performance.

Elmohamady headed wide at the far post as Villa's desperation continued to grow.

Finally Burton showed signs of buckling. Elmohamady's header was cleared off the line, before McFadzean used his hand to block De Laet's shot.

Adomah's penalty, however, lacked power and was comfortably saved by Campbell diving to his left. Even then the ball came loose, with Adomah somehow contriving to put the rebound over the bar from a matter of two yards out.

Teams

Burton (4-3-3): Bywater (Campbell 31), Brayford (c) (Sordell 10), McFadzean, Hutchinson, Turner, Templeton, Fox, Fraser, Akins, Boyce, Quinn (Harness HT) Subs not used: Buxton, Miller, Hodge, Beardsley.

Villa (4-4-1-1): Moreira, De Laet, Elphick (c) (Elmohamady 69), Bree, Taylor, Tuanzebe, Adomah Hourihane, Lansbury, El Ghazi, Hepburn-Murphy Subs not used: Chester, Whelan, Jedinak, Bjarnason, Doyle-Hayes, Bunn (gk).