Paul Lambert takes heart from Aston Villa fans

Villa produced a spirited second-half performance as they almost came back to snatch a point from two goals down following a lacklustre first half at Villa Park.

The defeat saw Villa slip in the bottom three of the Premier League but the fans clapped the players off at the final whistle to show appreciation for their efforts after the break.

"That's the first time I have seen a standing ovation when you have been beat, especially at home. It was an incredible thing," said the manager

"The crowd drove it on, the lads took the confidence from it, they got the goal which certainly helps. It just seemed relentless after that.

"Sometimes it's easier to play when 2-0 down. Nobody expects anything. You come out of the traps and get an early goal and then you become relentless.

"The first goal was the most disappointing one. The second one you hold your hand up because it's a wonder strike."

Despite Villa's situation Lambert insisted the club's stance on transfers is unlikely to change with the window set to shut tomorrow and accepted he may have to make do with his existing squad.

"If I have to go with it, I will. Do I think people will come in? I am not so sure. The situation has not really changed since January 1. That's the bottom line," added the Scot.

Lambert was, however, optimistic that Fabian Delph, who missed the game with an ankle injury, will be fit enough to feature against Everton this weekend.

But the Villa boss confirmed that Richard Dunne might have suffered another blow to his anticipated return.

"Fabian has a sprained ankle. It's the same ankle he hurt against West Brom and Millwall. He might train in the latter half of the week hopefully.

"But Richard looks like he's had a setback. We will have to wait and see if that settles down again," he said.