The Doc's Diagnosis: Villa vs Sheffield United

Looking at the fixture list a few weeks ago, and based on some indifferent Villa Park performances, I couldn't see more than a point from this one.

Sheffield United are battlers in any game, but yesterday they were always going to be fighting for their lives. You tend to want to face sides with nothing left to play for when it comes down to the wire.

So what an exhilarating surprise. I wondered whether I shouldn't just quote Neil Warnock instead of adding my own warblings: "to say we were poor today would be to take too much away from Villa. I thought Villa were outstanding today. Particularly in the first half, we couldn't cope with their movement. I think a lot of sides would have got beaten by Aston Villa today, so there's no disgrace. At the end, we did well to keep it to 3-0".

I wondered who Warnock was going to blame afterwards, so all credit to him for telling it like it was. No doubt buoyed and inspired by the presence of the 82 European Cup winning squad, and the rampant atmosphere their return created, Villa tore United apart, pretty much from start to finish.

O'Neill's decision to move Barry inside seems to me to be the catalyst for a far more dynamic and incisive midfield, with Gardner adding buzz and energy. Playing Agbonlahor through the middle alongside Carew makes a fearsome combination of pace and strength - possible now Young and Berger provide width. There may have been one or two howlers at the back, but the Blades managed their first shot in the 53rd minute and Sorensen was a spectator throughout.

The goals weren't scrappy affairs, either. Take your pick: Gabby's lightning turn and flashed drive into the top corner? Youngs twisting, jinking run and low, hard finish from wide? Or Bergers deft footwork and neat one-two with Carew, ending with a pinpoint touch into the far corner? And there could have been more if Gardner, Berger and Gabby had kept cooler heads in the heat and noise.

Villa haven't played better at home in two seasons, and it may have taken O'Neill time to shuffle the pack, but it's working. Look at the Premiership form table if you have any doubt of that.

Yesterday, in a festival atmosphere, the new regime managed to provide a perfect union of past glory and future promise. With the new Bodymoor Heath open today, the promise of further squad strengthening this summer and the high of Villa's end-of-season form, you would have to be the most hardened cynics not to feel heady on the promise for next season.

Villa: Sorensen 6; Hughes 6: Mellberg 6; Laursen 6; Bouma 6; Young 7; Barry 8; Gardner 7; Berger 8; AGBONLAHOR 9: Carew 7

Man-of-the-Match: Agbonlahor - his best-yet display in a Villa shirt. Scored one, made one, linked well with Carew. Blades couldn't handle him.