Beneath the glare of the biggest of white elephants the team in white won, inspired by a home grown hero whose local rivals now call their own.

One team playing in the Premier League while the other plays in a parallel world altogether, losing for the umpteenth time on the pitch as the most feckless building project of all is shelved in favour of 50 odd houses off it.

Only Wolves could cobble together such a script, featuring a fabricated line about Compton progression, when our very own manager steadfastly objects to the very notion in the first place.

Not Mark Davies for example, who was leap-frogging Bolton above us with a man-of-the-match display at the Reebok, instead of maintaining our momentum once Frimpong departed.

If it wasn’t so chronically sad we’d all laugh.

Darren Bent tells us how many stands will be built at Molineux

But when a current board member boasts about signing off the North Bank redevelopment three days before the last day of last season, we really shouldn’t be surprised.

A monstrosity of a stand which Jez Moxey said would look ‘ridiculous’ to begin with and a team which Steve Morgan, ‘with a crystal ball, might have strengthened.’

Talk about planning.

The biggest irony of all was that for a 30 minute spell, we looked as good as we have all season, on the day we plunged to 19^th position.

Michael Kightly proved why the club has stayed patient over his injury lay-off for so long, terrorising Villa and scoring a wonderful goal to partly erase the memory of Berra’s early indecision for the penalty.

The wonderfully mobile Frimpong exuded confidence and talent, controlling the midfield with Henry with right back Kevin Foley reminding us why he won a player of the year award as a right back. Funny that.

We thoroughly deserved a 2-1 lead at the break through Edwards’ flick from Johnson’s header and if anything, will regret profligacy for not being at least 4-1 ahead instead.

Both Fletcher and Edwards shot tamely at Given beforehand, when a yard either side would have yielded more joy.

But in a game of two halves, Wolves failed to reappear after the break and either looked slow out of the blocks, or just bereft of experience in actually defending a lead.

Keane’s equaliser underlined two things:

1. Our chronic inability to keep the ball, this time underlined by Matt Jarvis
2. Wayne Hennessey’s not-so-happy knack at conceding long range goals, later admitting he was to blame for this one

From then on the wheels came off and a game that we previously looked in control of took a turn for the worse when Frimpong was stretchered off.

With Stephen Warnock already brought on for Agbonlahor to specifically shackle Kightly, we suddenly looked laboured.

And when referee Michaal Oliver gleefully sent off Henry after first impeding a quick free kick and then ignoring a 5 second Albrighton offence, you sensed the game was heading one way.

That our very own Robbie Keane confirmed such a thought was either cruel beyond compare, or just rewards for a club with warped priorities.

With Blues beating us in the cup, our stadium redevelopment shelved and a housing development taking preference, Mick McCarthy could have been talking about the last seven days as a Wolves fan instead of these painful 90 minutes.

“Everything that could go wrong did go wrong.”

In the last five meetings, both sides have managed a win by the odd goal and the other three matches have been hard fought draws.

Heskey does his Shearer impression to win last season's fixture

I don’t envisage this game bucking the trend either.

Villa have played 10 away matches to date and drawn 6 of them, whereas Wolves have also shared the points in 4 of their last 5 Premier League fixtures.

Another draw wouldn’t be a disaster for Wolves, but without question we need to pick up a win sooner rather than later.

It’s a mighty shame our meek cup exit put a dampner on a fantastic result at White Hart Lane.

Still, with 10 fresh faces to come back in, we can hope for considerably better than the dross of Wednesday night and hopefully a big response.

The Team

Assuming everyone is sit, the team picks itself for tomorrow:

Hennessey, Foley, Johnson, Berra, Ward, Frimpong, Henry, Jarvis, Edwards, Kightly, Fletcher

I hope Mick can field that side tomorrow, as I think there’s a real balance to it and should give us every chance of getting a win.

Dave Edwards seems to be the biggest injury concern and if he doesn’t make it perhaps Milijas or Guedioura will profit? I certainly hope Hunt isn’t shifted in to plug the gap though, based on his poor showing on Wednesday.

Prediction League

Most people thought we’d get tonked by Spurs last time out, which I suppose isn’t unsurprising. The end result though is that only 6 people picked up any points.

4 of those 6 got the 1-1 scoreline and get the maximum 3 points. Well done to gebb, Super Kev Doyle, Mark G Davies and kinhaven.

Crazy Pete and Charlieee get a single point.

I’ll go for it this weekend a predict a narrow home win.

2-1.

If you’re at Molineux tomorrow, have a great time and get right behind the lads.

Up The Wolves.

7 points from 3 games. 2 cleansheets. Top of the league (as of 1.58pm).

And although this Villa Park stalemate might have felt like your average bore draw to the neutral, Mick McCarthy will rightly see it as a sign of forward progress.

Put bluntly, we probably would have lost this game last season.

No way through

With the home side finally showing signs of life in the second half and putting the Wolves defence under a sustained spell of pressure, instead of buckling or giving away a silly goal, the back four held firm and weathered the storm.

And when Mick rung the changes with 20 minutes to go, the team rediscovered their composure, dominated possession and comfortably saw out the game.

I’m not going to say it felt like a win, but it was highly satisfying nonetheless.

Equally satisfying was the performance of Wayne Hennessy, who kicked and handled impeccably throughout, palming countless balls away that flashed dangerously across his penalty area.

In front of the big goalkeeper, the back four kept things tight for the most part, only really troubled when Agbonlahor was able to find space to dash into.

And whilst Stearman, Johnson and Berra were all solid, it was Ward who once again impressed me. Not only did he shackle the dangerous N’Zogbia throughout, he also scampered forward himself to occupy some of Wolves best attacking positions.

None of the above take home the ‘Man of the Match’ champagne though. That, for me, belongs to Karl Henry.

I lost count of the number of times the former skipper tracked back to cover team mates who’d carelessly turned over possession.

And when we needed to calm things down towards the end, it was always Henry offering for the ball and keeping things simple with intelligent passes.

Although he might frustrate at times, his contribution should never, ever be taken for granted.

If there was a negative to take from the game, it was the lack of opportunities we calved out ourselves.

Apart from Hunt’s far-post header, we never troubled Villa at the back. Dunne and Collins swept up everything, with Doyle and Fletcher isolated by a lack of service.

I wasn’t surprised to see the two wide players withdrawn. Neither had much impact, particularly when Villa took control early in the second half.

That said, I cursed Mick’s name for bringing on Foley and Elokobi. It seemed like such a negative move and I truly thought it would leave us toothless going forward.

Quite the opposite, the boys suddenly remembered how to pass the ball, with Foley instrumental. What an important player he could be this season, even if his role is restricted to ‘utility substitute’.

This wasn’t a sensational performance by any means, but it turned out to be a pretty effective one.

And if you can’t win a game, don’t lose it.

That was something we forgot last season.

The winner will cement their place amongst the elite, the loser will likely slip down into the (urgh, yuk) Europa League.

Jarvis blasted in the winner last season

I jest of course, but why shouldn’t we savour the moment?

After all, on our last sojourn to Villa Park we were languishing inside the bottom three, frantically scrapping for our Premier League lives.

Things are somewhat different this time, with Wolves being the only side outside of Manchester to pick up two wins from two.

Confidence is high, tails are up and there’s a genuine belief we can hope for more than mere survival.

Interestingly, Villa have played the same two sides in their opening fixtures, plundering a 4-point return themselves in a solid start for Alex McLeish.

And despite Wolves lofty position, the home crowd will be expecting another win against a side they’ve failed to beat on their own ground on the last two occasions.

The Team

Assuming there are no injuries, I fully expect Mick to retain the same starting eleven that delivered back-to-back wins against Blackburn and Fulham.

Hennessey, Stearman, Berra, Johnson, Ward, Hunt, Henry, O'Hara, Jarvis, Fletcher, Doyle

Had we been playing Man Utd away, there might have been an argument to sacrifice one of the front two and bring in another midfielder, but with all due respect to Villa, they’re not Man Utd.

I think the above team is more than capable of getting a result in this match and they’ve earned the right to try and get it.

Prediction League

You know confidence is high when a 50 people (yes that’s five zero) correctly predicted Wolves would beat Fulham last Sunday.

Of that huge crowd, 13 people got the score spot-on to collect the maximum 3 points on offer.

So well done to The Wanderer, sleachy, Gold Wolf Sven, MrAussieWolf, Kwolf, Craig D, martin, gebb, Vladimir, Andrew N, CrazyPete, Irish Wolf and dboy.

Crazy Pete, Andrew N, dboy, sleachy and Irish Wolf, like Wolves, have six points from six. Good work boys.

Once again, thank you to everyone for taking part in the Prediction League. It’s becoming a somewhat arduous task updating the table, but it’s worth it to see so many people involved.

This weekend, my head is telling me that all good things have to come to an end.

However, since Wolves have given me absolutely no reason to doubt them of late, why should I?

2-1 to Wolves.

I think Villa have some strong attacking players, not least the likes of N’Zogbia and Bent, but they can certainly be got at defensively.

I’m expecting us to cause them problems and create chances so it will probably come down to how well we ourselves can defend.

If you’re going to Villa Park on Saturday have a great time and get right behind the lads. Things haven’t been as good as this for a long time.

Up The Wolves.

Thomas: Hi Adam. Welcome to the plush surroundings of the Wolves Blog Guest House. What’s your poison?

Adam: Guinness.

Thomas: Nice. While we wait for that pour, lets get down to business. There were a lot of comings and goings at Villa Park over the summer. Lets start with the most obvious, what’s your opinion on Alex McLeish?

McLesih was a surprise choice for many

Adam: When I first heard the news about Mcleish coming to Villa I was very unhappy. Having relegated Blues I didn’t see the logic in having him at Villa. The way the board responded to the fans telling them to “butt out” was arrogant and against traditions at Villa. It could have been handled better, but after seeing the signings he has made, N’Zogbia, Given and the way we have played so far he is slowly turning me into a fan of his.

Thomas: That all seems fair enough and for what it’s worth, I think he’ll do a good job for you. Along with a change of management there were two high profile departures with Young and Downing both heading for the exit. How sorely missed will they be this season? Can the likes of Albrighton and N’Zogbia fill the void?

Adam: Young and Downing no doubt will be sorely missed, it’s taken the fans a while to get used to seeing them in their respective Liverpool and Man Utd roles. Albrighton definitely has the ability to replace Young as a great winger but I think his goal scoring ability needs work, as for Zoggy he already has the skill and passion to replace Downing. I predict great things for both Albrighton and N’Zogbia this season.

Thomas: The jury’s still out on Albrighton for me but N’Zogbia is a proven performer. A good signing for you. Tell me, what constitutes success for the Villa this season?

Adam: I think as we are now we could win the Carling Cup but we really need another player to come in, preferably Joey Barton or someone of same skill and passion. As far as the league is concerned I think with our little spending power it’s going to be hard to make top 5 but with belief and hard work I’d say 6th place is attainable for us this season, especially with the likes of Arsenal in turmoil.

Thomas: 6th seems ambitious to me. If you achieve that you’ll have had a very good season indeed. Who would you say is your most important player?

Adam: Oooh that’s a hard one. I think it has to be Gabriel Agbonlahor. You can instantly see a difference in the squad when he is not playing, e.g. Villa vs Hereford. I think he brings a sense of togetherness and familiarity to the squad which helps the team to flow as one. Without him it’s kind of like a wall with one brick missing. I think he deserves to be captain instead of Petrov as he has put his heart and soul into Villa.

Both teams scored an away win last season

Thomas: I think you need a big season out of him, that’s for sure. What did you make of the two games between Wolves and Villa last season?

Adam: I only saw the highlights as was in hospital, but they were both tough games for Villa and I have no doubt Wolves will test us on Saturday.

Thomas: They were certainly both good contests. What’s your opinion on Wolves as a club and is this considered an important derby for Villa?

Adam: Although Wolves record against Villa is not the best, I have always had respect for Wolves. I remember the Steve Bull days and what a great player he was, many legends have been made at Molineux including Andy Gray. As a Villa fan I feel no animosity against Wolves they are a proud club with a proud history just like Villa and unlike Birmingham City. Ha!

Thomas: Kind words. Are you as complimentary about Mick McCarthy?

Adam: Mick McCarthy is a very good manager, very stern and straight forward and a great player in his day. He was great as a player for Ireland but unfortunately it fell apart for him as manager, I blame Roy Keane for that. I think the 2008-09 season cemented him as the manager Wolves need for success and I think he will make the most of what he has, it will be a good season for Wolves and Villa I think.

Thomas: Who do you see as our best players?

Answer: Sylvan Ebanks Blake is my personal favourite. I think he’s got great potential and will score goals for Wolves this season.

Thomas: Interesting answer. You’ll probably be pleased to hear he’s just been ruled out for a month! How do you think we’ll fare this season?

Adam: I’d say it’s a bit early to say but with what I have seen I think Wolves will finish about 8th or 9th.

Thomas: Wow, I think we’d be pretty pleased with that. Finally, what’s your prediction for Saturday?

Adam: I think it will be close, but I wouldn’t be a good Villa fan unless a said 2-1 to Villa.

Thomas: A fair point. Thanks for your time Adam.

Do you want to know all the latest Premiership football scores? Football scores is the place to be, giving you live scores from every Premiership game.

You see, what outsiders would never even think to mention is that Mick McCarthy’s side should have ended that winless record last season.

Indeed, the old gold of 2010 led Martin O’Neill’s Champions League chasing Villa team 2-1 heading into the closing minutes only to be undone by a long punt upfield and a scrappy finish.

Eat that!

Watching yesterday’s game, a similar conclusion would have been unbearable given that Wolves thoroughly deserved the three points, having produced a performance that oozed Premier League class mixed with trademark McCarthy endeavour.

Nobody encapsulated those attributes more than Matt Jarvis. A month ago, I lambasted the speedy winger for squandering a trio of golden opportunities in recent outings, but he’s made up for that and more since, opening the scoring against Blackpool and firing the sweetest of volleys to bring home the bacon in this one.

Karl Henry, another player from the Championship-winning vintage, produced a masterclass in the school of holding-midfield play, out-battling and out-thinking Reo-Coker and Makoun to ensure we saw plenty of the ball throughout. Sure the distribution remains questionable at times, but his defensive qualities are a crucial ingredient of this resurgent Wolves side.

Ahead of the skipper, Milijas and O’Hara have the composure, skill and requisite attacking menace to make the most of this 4-5-1 system. Twice Milijas forced Friedel into smart saves  as the Villa defence backed away. O’Hara too rampaged forward in the second half only to see his goalbound effort blocked when he perhaps should have rolled in Jarvis.

Still, with two such intelligent players operating in the middle of the park and wingers on both flanks asking questions all the time, creating chances and scoring goals shouldn’t be a problem.

But perhaps of even greater encouragement is our ever-improving defence. That’s two cleansheets in the last three games and five for the season, all of which belong to Wayne Hennessy. The Welshman kicked and handled impeccably throughout in this one and mercifully, on the one occasion he was beaten, the underside of the crossbar got us off the hook.

Richard Stearman also benefited from some luck when he chopped down Darren Bent seemingly just inside the penalty area. But when the whistle went, it was for a free-kick just outside, which Bent himself blasted against the wall. Let off.

If that was good fortune, the rest was all about the rising stock of our two young center-backs. Both Berra and Stearman deserve a huge slice of credit for shackling Bent and giving him nothing to feed on for the duration of the 90+ minutes.

Kevin Foley too was imperious, going about his business with customary assurance and always using the ball cleverly. I’m a big fan of Ronald Zubar, but even I can see the consistency Foley has brought to the defence of late and his ability in possession is far greater than that of the Frenchman’s.

On the other side, Elokobi struggled in the first half, with Albrighton and Downing constantly threatening. A stray backpass that gifted Villa a corner seemed to suggest his head had gone, but an improved second half saw George grow into the game and wrestle back possession on a number of occasions.

I can’t quite decide where Kevin Doyle was more impressive in this one. He imposed himself on the inexperienced Villa defence in the first half and was unlucky to see a goal chalked-off following a cross that was only fractionally out of play (if at all). But when Mick brought on SEB and asked Doyler to play out on the right, he did so without hesitation and flourished in the role, constantly driving into space and finding passes to feet.

Indeed, the fact that Wolves saw this game out with such assurance, bossing possession as the clock ticked over to 90, was perhaps as satisfying as any other aspect of the performance.

Departing the Premier League just seems unthinkable, given that now, after nearly two seasons of struggle, we’ve arrived.

Sure they can boast a talented squad, an £18 million striker and a manager with considerable experience, but the facts are that they’re just four points above us and two outside of the bottom three. So although it seems unlikely, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that they could go down.

Heskey scored a late winner at Molineux earlier in the season

However, Villa Park remains a difficult place to visit and despite a poor campaign by their standards, The Villains have still notched up 6 wins and 5 draws from their 14 home matches to date. The majority of their problems, like Wolves, are on the road, where they’ve lost 9 games and managed just 2 wins all season.

They’ll want the maximum return from this game and anything less will probably be considered a mini-disaster.

By contrast, a point for Wolves would represent a decent result and extend the unbeaten run to four games.

Mick McCarthy is boosted by the return of a number of key players. Jamie O’Hara returns after missing the last game against his parent club, Michaels Kightly and Mancienne are back from injury and the likes of David Jones and Stephen Hunt are also available.

I’d be surprised to see anything other than a 4-5-1 shape containing the following players:

Hennessy

Foley
Berra
Stearman
Elokobi

Hammill
Henry
Milijas
O’Hara
Jarvis

Doyle

That would definitely be the eleven I’d pick also.

There’s a nice balance to that side and if we can keep things tight defensively, there’s enough going forward to cause a shaky Villa defence problems. Lets not forget they’ve conceded one more goal than us this season, so we should get chances.

Prediction League

Seven armchair pundits correctly predicted Wolves and Spurs would share the spoils last time out, but nobody got the correct score. Nevertheless, well done to me, Jon Sidwell, Super Kev Doyle, Bagsy, Jed, These are the days and Rob for adding to their respective totals.

I’ll go for another score-draw this weekend.

I think we’ll score but I can’t see us keeping a cleansheet either. Ashley Young always seems to make a significant contribution and I can foresee him once again being our tormentor. Hopefully I’m wrong.

A repeat of last year’s scoreline I reckon – 2-2.

If you’re making the trip to Villa Park on Saturday, have a great time and get behind the lads. This is a derby after all.

Up The Wolves.

After another defeat, another team targeting our hapless left back (until he’s taken out of the line of fire with an ‘injury’) and another late goal, the autumn chill is starting to bite.

Villa can reflect on a job well done.

Hmm...I wonder where we should target?

Mick McCarthy can reflect on a shocking refereeing decision not send off the already booked Warnock, who then goes on to set-up the winner.

Meanwhile, most Wolves fans might reflect on another baffling team selection where World Cup player Guedioura again lost out to Championship bit part Edwards and Ward kept his place despite being so horribly out of his depth.

Gerard Houllier isn’t so well respected for nothing I guess. After being back in England for all of five minutes, he still spotted the Eircom striker masquerading as a defender beforehand and told Albrighton to attack him at every opportunity.

I lost count of the raids on Ward before the inevitable goal came. Maybe Mick didn’t, because a familiar ‘injury’ reared its head and the Irishman was back in the changing room. (Sheffield United anyone?)

In full credit to Big George, Albrighton was subbed off in the second half and never got a look in from the moment he came on, poor distribution aside.

That we completely ignored the possibility of purchasing Nicky Shorey from the Villa will continue to haunt me until the position is finally sorted.

Four years after the much maligned Lee Naylor left, it was ironic to see him back on the pitch at half time, as his departure still hasn’t been addressed with the seriousness it warranted.

The first half was forgettable as we launched too many long balls to Fletcher and Doyle, the latter looking as ineffective as I’ve seen in a Wolves shirt, and we went in a goal down.

Apart from a great double save from Freidel from the strike pair and a glaring chance for Edwards that was either missed or tackled, we offered little threat and none of the encouraging form of late last season.

The second half was a different story however, and with Jarvis coming more into the game in a change of shape (with Fletcher going wider too) we asserted some pressure.

When the goal came from Jarvis it was fully deserved. After the goal we didn’t have nearly enough quality to break Villa down.

The pivotal moment came when Mick made his final change.

Managers live and die by their decisions and maybe ours will regret subbing Foley for Stearman, who was swamped for Villa’s winner when Warnock romped towards the South Bank and crossed for Heskey to score.

To blame Stears would be unfair though. We did our usual trick of opting for the wrong choice around their box and it was Doyle who scuffed an ambitious shot from 25 yards with others far better placed.

Would SEB have been a better choice from the bench in a bolder attempt to win the game?

Guedioura certainly shouldn’t have been there in the first place, so to see Sidwell’s sickening challenge on him in after coming on makes me so angry on so many levels.

At least Mick won’t have to make excuses for not picking him now, as we contemplate a loss which already looks to be lengthy.

Make no mistake, this Villa team was there for the taking and was infinitely worse than its 2009 version, with no Dunne, Milner, Agbonlahor or Carew in the starting line-up.

The biggest worry is that we’re looking worse too – with or without a £20 million spending spree.

Since Martin O’Neill packed his bags and left just days before the start of the season, it’s safe to say it’s been an up-and-down start for our neighbours. Solid wins against West Ham and Everton are juxtaposed with a 6-goal thumping at Newcastle and a disappointing exit in the Europa League.

SEB slammed home a late equaliser from the penalty spot last season

A last-gasp defeat to Stoke and a home-draw with Bolton make up the remainder of Villa’s results to date, leaving them with respectable seven point haul. But having failed to emerge victorious in either of those last two winnable fixtures, they’ll be keen to build some momentum with three points on Sunday.

For Wolves, back-to-back Premier League defeats have dented what was an impressive start to the season, but Mick McCarthy and co can take solace from the fact they took the lead in both matches and but for some silly late mistakes, would have added vital points to their tally.

We can also look back fondly on last season’s meetings with Villa, both of which ended in draws. We stood toe-to-toe with them home and away and arguably deserved to win at least one of those games having successfully bridged the considerable gap between the sides in the league table.

It’s getting a little bit trickier to guess the Wolves side and arguably a few more players might have put themselves into contention following the 4-2 midweek victory over Notts County in the League Cup. This is my guess at the starting XI:

Hahnemann

Foley
Berra
Craddock
Ward

Jarvis
Henry
Jones
van Damme

Doyle
Fletcher

I hope Jarvis and van Damme can shake off their respective injuries, as they give us two very different options down the flanks. At the back, I fully expect Berra to return to the side having missed the game at Spurs through suspension. Fletcher and Doyle will surely get the nod up front, having both found the net in midweek and demonstrated their considerable quality.

Prediction League

A few people successfully predicted the outcome from last weekend’s defeat at Spurs, so well done to Stourbridge Wolf (his first points of the season), Hallam, Jon Sidwell and last but by no means least, er, me.

That vital three point salvo elevates me to the summit of the overall table.

As always, if you want to join in with the Prediction League, simply leave your prediction for each game in the comment section of the official preview (such as this one).

This week, I’m backing Wolves to get the win. We’ve looked solid enough on home-turf so far and if we can keep things tight at the back, I’m positive we’ll create chances against Villa.

2-1 Wolves.

If you’re going to the game, have a great time and get right behind the lads. There’s bragging rights at stake here.

Up The Wolves.

Had it not been for a moment of slack defending, allowing a long punt down field to cause mayhem inside our penalty area, we probably would have secured a famous victory. After all, we’d dealt with pretty much everything else Villa threw at us, with Marcus Hahnemann never really having to exert himself.

Jody Craddock smashes home the equaliser

Still, a very useful point and in light of Burnley and Hull both falling to painful, last-gasp defeats, a good weekend all round. Those two sides both appear to be crumbling on and off the pitch where as Wolves just have the look of a side that are coming good at the most crucial point in the season.

Long may that continue.

Yesterday, every player contributed to a strong team performance, with David Jones perhaps most impressive. His close control and ability to pick out a killer pass in the final third is giving us a vital dimension to our attacking play and the former Derby midfielder is thriving more than anyone in this 4-5-1 system.

Kevin Doyle was right up there again too. Villa had only conceded ten goals at home prior to this match, but were ran ragged by Wolves record signing. He played a vital role in the build-up to both our goals, then gave us much needed respite when our backs were firmly planted against the wall in the second half.

View from the Away End

I doubt whether Mick will change it. He’s probably right not to.

In fact, I hope this starting eleven is preserved at all costs for the next eight games, as we attempt to navigate ourselves to safety. There’s a cohesion to the side at the moment, which we haven’t seen since the glorious opening games of last season, so rocking the boat now would probably be a costly mistake.

It’s quickly onto West Ham now, where avoiding defeat would surely be a wonderful achievement. That being said, I feel we’re in strong enough shape to win at Upton Park and not consider it a giant-killing. We are after all, above them in the table.

What the Papers Say

For Wolves, that there will be a tinge of disappointment that they did not take three points is a compliment to the way they went about their business.

The Telegraph

Having been comprehensively outplayed as Villa made a flying start, Mick McCarthy’s team were well worth their point in the end.

The Independent

APPEARANCES can be deceptive. A glance at this morning’s Premier League table will show Aston Villa still very much in contention for a place in next season’s Champions League but on the evidence of the full 90 minutes rather than just a sprightly start, they look no more a top four team than Wolverhampton Wanderers appear in danger of relegation.

The Times