Aston Villa 3-2 Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn Rovers were the better team for much of this game.
They opened the scoring when Stephen Warnock exchanged passes with Benni McCarthy and fired home.

But Luke Young bundled in an equaliser from Nicky Shorey's cross on half-time.
James Milner pulled the ball back for Gareth Barry to put Villa into the lead on 65 minutes

Agbonlahor raced onto Ashley Young's pass to make it 3-1 before Brett Emerton's injury-time free-kick.

It was Villa's third match in the space of six days. Martin O'neill will be grateful to have taken three points that keeps Villa fifth in the Premier League table.

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill:

"We didn't play well at all. We never got going.

"We looked very jaded and I was absolutely delighted because we conjured up a win from absolutely nothing.

"We were second best in the first half. Blackburn passed the ball better than we did. When John Carew came on it did give us a bit more impetus."

Blackburn manager Paul Ince:
"We were comfortable in the first 45 minutes. We got the goal and never looked in any danger. Then we conceded a fortuitous goal from Villa's point of view.

"We had chance after chance in the first half and the second. We are playing some good stuff and the lads have shown they can come to places like Villa and control the game.

"I am encouraged, but try telling that to my players when they've lost the game. We feel we've dropped points against Bolton, Middlesbrough and Villa, and we can't keep doing that."

Aston Villa: Friedel, Luke Young, Shorey, Laursen, Cuellar, Barry, Milner, Petrov (Carew 46), Reo-Coker (Sidwell 83), Ashley Young, Agbonlahor (Harewood 90).
Subs Not Used: Guzan, Davies, Knight, Gardner.

Goals: Luke Young 45, Barry 65, Agbonlahor 87.

Blackburn: Robinson, Ooijer, Samba, Nelsen, Warnock (Kerimoglu 68), Emerton, Andrews, Simpson, Pedersen (Olsson 79), Villanueva, McCarthy (Derbyshire 79).
Subs Not Used: Brown, Mokoena, Fowler, Roberts.

Booked: Samba.

Goals: Warnock 30, Emerton 90.

Att: 35,985

Ref: Keith Stroud (Hampshire).