Steven Gerrard takes positives from battling Aston Villa point

A largely drab encounter was not one to excite the neutrals but ended a four-game losing streak for Villa, courtesy of their 10th clean sheet of the season.

The improved defensive performance pleased Gerrard, who admitted his team have been guilty of letting too many points slip away during a frustrating campaign.

He said: “It’s a big point. On the back of four straight defeats, this was a tough game for us.

“You aren’t given anything here. You have to come here and earn it and we have earned a positive point.

“The plan was to win the game and I thought we had some decent chances. I see this as a positive point and I crave more of these.

“If you can’t win in this league it is important you take something away because these points improve your league position by the end of it.

“If I look at Newcastle away, or Brentford away. We could have been four or five points better off by defending like we did today.”

Gerrard also confirmed the family of assistant boss Michael Beale are safe and well after being involved in a traffic accident on the M1 on Saturday morning.

Beale’s wife and children were travelling in a car which collided with a delivery lorry, with Villa's first-team coach leaving the squad to check on their welfare before returning to the King Power Stadium for the match.

Gerrard said: “Michael received a call this morning his family was involved in an accident on the road.

“Thankfully they are all Ok but it certainly shook them up. I have said it many times but the only thing above football is family.

“We told Michael to go and prioritise his family. He did and thankfully they were OK and in a good place.

“That sums Mick up that he was desperate to get back and help the team. Those are the staff members you want. But the priority is the family and thankfully they are all OK.”