Aston Villa 2 Bolton 0 - Report and pictures

Jack Grealish and James Chester have both struggled of late to deliver the kind of performances which made them integral members of a team which came within a whisker of promotion last season.

Yet they combined to ensure Dean Smith’s men saw off the Trotters to record just a second victory in eight games and three points which, for the moment, saw them climb to within four points of the Championship top six.

Grealish netted for the first time this term to put Villa into a fourth minute lead and then delivered the second half free-kick from which Chester doubled the advantage.

The skipper had earlier made a superb goal-line clearance to prevent Jack Hobbs levelling for the visitors and his performance at the back ensured his team kept just their third clean sheet of the season.

Their overall performance, against a Bolton outfit who arrived at Villa Park in even worse form than the hosts, was admittedly far from perfect. Smith still has plenty of work to do to transform Villa into genuine promotion contenders.

But with the fixture list about to turn significantly tougher, starting with next weekend’s trip to Derby, a win was imperative regardless of the style.

Smith made two changes to the team beaten 1-0 at QPR the previous Friday, one tactical and one enforced.

The former saw Albert Adomah replace Ahmed Elmohamady on the wing, while Conor Hourihane came in for the injured Birkir Bjarnason on the flanks.

Bolton boss Phil Parkinson made five changes in a bid to breathe life into a team who had won just once in 11 games.

But it took Villa less than four minutes to pick them apart, with Grealish netting for the first time since his stunning volley against Cardiff back in April.

Top scorer Tammy Abraham turned creator, controlling the ball 25 yards from goal before threading a ball through the backline for Grealish to chase.

Goalkeeper Ben Alnwick came rushing out but could not beat the Villa man to the ball, with Grealish taking a touch to round him before sliding a finish into the empty net.

The hosts were well on top in the early stages and went close again when Adomah cut in from the right flank and hammered a shot wide of the far post.

Yet the home side’s defensive fragility was never far from the surface and Bolton will feel they should have drawn level before the half-hour mark.

First former Walsall man Erhun Oztumer was unable to make a clean connection from 12 yards out after the ball had become stuck under the feet of Trotters striker Clayton Donaldson.

Oztumer would then be at the centre of the next big chance as he delivered the cross from which Hobbs appeared to have headed the equaliser, only for Chester to clear off the line in acrobatic fashion.

Villa’s increasing nerves were summed up seconds later when Orjan Nyland dropped Oztumer’s corner, the goalkeeper being fortunate to pounce on the loose ball.

After Grealish had tested Alnwick with a dipping effort, Chester momentarily thought he had doubled his team’s advantage after heading Hourihane’s free-kick beyond the keeper, before his celebrations were cut short by an offside flag.

Craig Noone then wasted Bolton’s next chance when he failed to connect with an Oztumer cross which had again not been dealt with by Villa’s defence.

Both teams had big chances inside the opening two minutes of the second half.

Villa had the first, Abraham somehow failing to convert from close range after Kodjia had broken clear on the left.

Nyland, who had experienced a shaky first-half, then made a fine save with his legs to prevent Noone from levelling, after the ball had fallen perfectly for the Bolton man in the box.

It felt like the next goal could come at either end and crucially it was Villa who scored it.

McGinn was fouled 25 yards from goal and when Grealish whipped in the free-kick, Chester got between the defenders to direct a header into the bottom corner and give his team much needed breathing space.

With a two-goal cushion, Villa began to find more fluidity and went close to further increasing their lead.

Jonathan Kodjia was particularly wasteful, passing up a number of chances to shoot after a powerful run into the box before failing to find Abraham with a pass. The Ivory Coast international also hammered wildly over from a good position inside the box, before Adomah nearly caught Alnwick out with an audacious overhead attempt which sailed just over the bar.

Noone provided a reminder Bolton were not yet out of it with a thumping drive which flew just wide of Nyland’s post.

Axel Tuanzebe, partnering Chester at the back, then preserved the shut-out when he took the ball off the toes of Craig Doidge just as the substitute was about to pull the trigger.

Teams

Villa (4-2-3-1): Nyland, Hutton, Chester, Tuanzebe, Taylor, Hourihane, McGinn, Adomah (Bolasie 73), Grealish (Whelan 90), Kodjia, Abraham (Hogan 81) Subs not used: Jedinak, Elmohamady, El Ghazi, Bunn (gk).

Bolton (4-2-3-1): Alnwick, Olkowski, Hobbs, Wheater, Taylor, Williams, Lowe, Noone, Oztumer (Doidge 78), Buckley (Dyer 68), Donaldson (Magennis 70) Subs not used: Beevers, Vela, Grounds, Matthews (gk).