Ashley Young was the inspiration for Aston Villa as they thrashed local rivals Birmingham City 5-1 at Villa Park yesterday, leaving the visitors in dire relegation trouble.
Young provided a scintillating performance for the watching England manager Fabio Capello to contemplate as the striker made sure Blues boss Alex McLeish’s first taste of the second city derby was a bitter defeat he will want to forget in a hurry.
Young scored twice and also played a part in two other goals for towering Norway striker John Carew before Gabriel Agbonhalor added a fifth 78 minutes in.
Finland striker Mikael Forssell scored in the 67th minute for Birmingham, but it was no consolation as the Blues were sent spinning to their fourth successive defeat in this fixture and closer to relegation from the English Premier League at the home of their greatest rivals.
McLeish will not have suffered too many more embarrassing days as his side stayed third from bottom in the table and one point from safety.
Just two points from their last 10 games away from St. Andrews indicates just why the Blues are in such dire straights at the wrong end of the table.
Villa have scored 14 goals in their last three victories and will travel to Goodison Park next Sunday in confident mood to face Everton in what will be a direct contest for a UEFA Cup place next season.
The Villains are three points behind the Toffees, who occupy fifth place in the table — good enough for a UEFA Cup berth.
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