Aston Villa 2 Birmingham City 0 - Report and pictures

Scott Hogan hit the bar for the hosts in the first half, while Sam Gallagher missed a glorious chance to put Blues ahead when he hit the post and put the rebound over.

But Adomah gave Villa the goal their dominance deserved when he fired in off the post on the hour mark.

Hourihane then sealed a seventh straight league win for Villa with a spectacular long-range effort nine minutes from time, before Blues’s misery was complete when Cheik Ndoye was sent-off in stoppage time.

Analysis

This was the first time Villa had scored more than once in a Second City Derby since they battered their rivals 5-1 in April 2009 and this was arguably their best performance in a derby since then.

Steve Bruce’s men were on the front foot from the word go and with a little more fortune - and without the heroics of Blues keeper David Stockdale - they might well have won by more.

The three points saw them climb above Derby and into the Championship’s automatic promotion places.

Blues sit just two points above the relegation places after a miserable afternoon, compounded when Ndoye saw red in stoppage time for a needless off-the-ball scuffle with John Terry.

Villa’s starting line-up featured one change from the team which beat Burton 3-2 last time out, Mile Jedinak replacing Birkir Bjarnason in the heart of midfield.

There was a place on the bench for deadline day loan signing Lewis Grabban, though Gabriel Agbonlahor, so often Villa’s derby hero, missed out.

Jedinak’s inclusion initially seemed a little harsh on Bjarnason, who has been in fine form.

But the Australian more than vindicated his manager’s decision with a powerhouse performance in the middle.

The hosts were quickest to everything in the early stages, forcing their rivals into a number of errors.

A loose pass from Ndoye allowed Grealish to break toward the box, the Blues midfielder recovering to block the shot wide of the post.

The visitors were struggling to get out of their own half but Villa were unable to create too much in the way of chances until Hogan smashed a shot against the bar.

A fine through ball from Grealish allowed the striker to run at the defence and though Harlee Dean was able to get in a challenge, the ball sat up nicely for Hogan whose shot beat goalkeeper Stockdale before bouncing off the woodwork and over.

Carl Jenkinson was then in the right place to head a teasing Robert Snodgrass cross clear from under his own bar, before Mark Roberts was in the right place to block from Hogan at close range after a sweeping Villa move.

Blues finally began to muster an attacking threat of their own toward the half-hour mark, David Davis seeing an effort deflect off Terry and wide of the post, while Sam Johnstone then had to be alert to push a deflected Jacques Maghoma cross over the bar.

But Villa went close again when Stockdale stood tall to beat away Adomah’s shot after the winger had cut inside following a neat passing move.

Adomah then flashed an effort wide from the edge of the box as Villa continued to have the upper hand.

Yet it was Blues who would then create and miss the best chance of the half. Terry got his legs tangled trying to clear a Maghoma through ball and Gallagher ran clear. With just Johnstone to beat, he hammered a shot across goal and rebounded off the far post and straight back into his path. But with the goal at his mercy, Gallagher ballooned the ball over the bar.

Villa would still manage to create another opening prior to the break, this time Maikel Kieftenbeld was in the right place to nod clear when Jedinak’s header, from a Snodgrass free-kick, looked like creeping in at the far post.

More desperate defending was needed from the visitors early in the second period, Gallagher heading the ball back off his own bar as Villa pushed forward again.

The goal they had been threatening from the first minute eventually arrived on the hour mark.

Grealish was the creator, with a clever square pass which allowed Adomah to run along the edge of the box. The winger hit his finish low and hard and in off the near post, netting the 13th league goal of a superb individual campaign.

With an incredible noise now in the stadium, Villa pushed forward in search of a second and Stockdale had to get down well to tip Hourihane’s low shot wide of the post.

Yet the keeper would have no chance with the effort which firmly decided the game in Villa’s favour, nine minutes from time.

Running onto a loose ball, Hourihane unleashed a dipping half volley which sailed over the keeper and into the back of the net.

Snodgrass show wide as Villa threatened to run riot in the closing stages, before Ndoye was shown a second yellow in stoppage time.

Teams

Villa (4-1-4-1): Johnstone, Elmohamady, Chester, Terry, Hutton, Jedinak, Snodgrass, Grealish (Bjarnason 84), Hourihane, Adomah (Whelan 88), Hogan (Grabban 79) Subs not used: Taylor, Tuanzebe, Onomah, Bunn (gk).

Blues (4-2-3-1): Stockdale, Jenkinson, Roberts, Dean, Colin, Davis (Adams 82), Kieftenbeld, Ndoye, Maghoma (Jota 76), Boga, Gallagher Subs not used: Gardner, Jutkiewicz, Bramall, Morrison, Kuszczak (gk).