Aston Villa 2 Bristol City 1 - Report

Tammy Abraham opened the scoring from the spot for a home side missing Jack Grealish through illness.

Conor Hourihane then got what proved to the winner with a fine finish midway through the second half.

Famara Diedhiou pulled one back for the visitors with 16 minutes remaining but Villa saw it out to go four points clear in fifth place.

Analysis

The hosts were more than worthy winners after a superb second half performance in which they might have scored several more were it not for the brilliance of Bristol keeper Max O’Leary.

Their showing was even more impressive considering the number of key players they were without, not least Greaslish.

The absence of Tyrone Mings and Kortney Hause through suspension and injury respectively meant Villa’s defence was again reshuffled.

But it didn’t matter as Dean Smith’s men, driven by another powerhouse performance by John McGinn, assisted by Hourihane, Glenn Whelan and Neil Taylor in particular, found a way to get the job done.

Villa remain five points clear of Middlesbrough in seventh and can practically secure a play-off spot when they face Bolton and Millwall over the Easter weekend.

The home side were also without Jonathan Kodjia, another of the instigators of Wednesday’s comeback at Rotherham, due to injury.

That meant an unchanged forward three of Albert Adomah, Tammy Abraham and Anwar El Ghazi started the game.

The visitors might have led inside two minutes had Niclas Eliasson been more clinical. Yet having robbed Axel Tuanzebe in Villa’s half, the winger curled his shot wide of Jed Steer’s goal.

Matty Taylor also failed to hit the target with a far post header, from an Eliasson cross, as the Robins showed their attacking prowess early.

The most glaring of the early misses, however, came from Villa and Albert Adomah. Robins keeper Max O’Leary was only able to parry El Ghazi’s fierce strike right into the wideman’s path but from six yards out he sent his header against the bar.

Villa were also left to rue confusion between top scorer Abraham and McGinn as another chance went begging.

Abraham chested down Ahmed Elmohamady’s cross and looked set to shoot, only for McGinn to try and do the same, the pair combining to send the ball ballooning wide of goal.

Soon after Hourihane made no mistake when he met El Ghazi’s cross but O’Leary showed superb reactions to make a point-blank save.

O’Leary came to his team’s rescue again early in the second half, again denying Hourihane at close range, this time after he had failed to hold El Ghazi’s shot from the edge of the box.

But Villa, now on top, would make the breakthrough 10 minutes after the restart.

McGinn crossed from the right and Hunt appeared to pull down Hourihane as the Villa man went for the ball.

Abraham, who had missed from the spot at Rotherham, made no mistake this time, sending his spot-kick down the middle as O’Leary dived to the left.

Villa Park was now buzzing and the hosts had further chances to double the lead before Hourihane did so.

McGinn shot straight at O’Leary, following a Hourihane pull-back, while the latter glanced a cross from the former wide of the post.

The Republic of Ireland international was not to be denied, however, finally getting the goal his performance deserved midway through the half.

Neil Taylor and El Ghazi combined well on the left, before the latter delivered a clever pass into the box which Hourihane fired first time on the turn beyond O’Leary and into the bottom corner.

That should have been game over but Diedhiou pulled the visitors back into it when he fired home acrobatically off the post, following a spell of head tennis in the Villa box.

O’Leary then denied Taylor at close range after the left-back had raced into the area, before Josh Brownhill thumped an effort just over the bar at the other end as the home nerves began to jangle.

But in truth Villa could have won by more, O’Leary denying both substitute Keinan Davis and McGinn during six minutes of stoppage time.

Key Moments

13 - OFF THE POST - Albert Adomah hits the woodwork from close range, after Bristol City goalkeeper Max O’Leary parries Anwar El Ghazi’s shot.

55 - GOAL Tammy Abraham fires Villa ahead from the spot, after Jack Hunt pulls down Conor Hourihane in the box.

66 - GOAL Conor Hourihane doubles Villa’s lead, firing first time past O’Leary from El Ghazi’s pass.

74 - GOAL Famara Diedhiou gets the visitors back in the game, firing home acrobatically after a spot of head tennis in the Villa box.

Teams

Villa (4-3-3): Steer, Elmohamady, Tuanzebe, Jedinak, Taylor, McGinn, Hourihane (Lansbury 79), Whelan, Adomah, Abraham (Davis 72), El Ghazi Subs not used: Green, Bjarnason, Hutton, Ramsey, Sarkic (gk).

Bristol City (4-4-2): O’Leary, Hunt (Paterson 89) Kalas, Webster, Dasilva, Weimann, Brownhill, Pack, Eliasson (Palmer 60), Taylor (Baker 60), Diedhiou Subs not used: Wright, Walsh, Kelly, Marinovic (gk).