Savage desire drains blood from Villa
There is something about facing Birmingham City that makes the blood drain from the faces of Aston Villa's players. David O'Leary's team had not lost at home all season but their stage fright was so acute yesterday that their cross-city neighbours could have won by a far greater margin. The Guardian
Dunn's assault brings Villa crashing down
First Anfield, now Villa Park. Birmingham City do not win away very often but when they do they breach a fortress. Like Liverpool, Aston Villa were unbeaten at home in 2004-05 but that did not spare them a first-half runaround that was as devastating as it was surprising. Independent
Mellberg made to eat his words
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen was probably not an Aston Villa fan, but she summed up the angst of the club’s supporters when she wrote: “One has no great hopes from Birmingham. There is something direful in the sound.” The second-city slug-fest still belongs to Steve Bruce’s side and continues to be the graveyard of goalkeepers wearing claret and blue, while Robbie Savage is a hiss-boo villain who milks the abuse with such unabashed joy that he is football’s answer to the Ugly Sisters. The Times