Bolton Wanderers 0 Aston Villa 2 - Report and pictures

Dean Smith’s team have played far better than this during their transformation from mid-table irrelevance to the Championship’s most feared unit.

But at a time of the season when results are all that really matter, that is exactly what they delivered at Bolton, claiming a comfortable victory which also condemned the hosts to relegation.

For Villa this was a ninth straight league win, equalling the club record last set in 1910, meaning they head into Easter Monday’s home match against Millwall in fifth with a five-point cushion over Middlesbrough in sixth. Bristol City, who sit seventh, are a further point back.

After an opening half when the visitors lacked their usual fluency, Jack Grealish and Tammy Abraham combined to as good as seal the win in the space of 10 minutes early in the second half.

Abraham crossed for Grealish to head Villa in front, before the captain returned the favour as the on loan Chelsea man became the first player to net 25 goals in a league campaign for the club since Andy Gray 42 years ago.

The only concern for Villa was seeing Abraham sustain an injury in the act of scoring, while Axel Tuanzebe was also forced off before the finish.

Both may now be doubts for Monday’s game, though currently Villa look well equipped to overcome any kind of adversity.

It was no surprise to see both Grealish and Tyrone Mings restored to the line-up, after they had missed the 2-1 win over Bristol City through injury and suspension respectively.

The men to make way were Conor Hourihane and Mile Jedinak, who both dropped to the bench. Kortney Hause and Jonathan Kodjia remained out of the team with injury.

After a quiet opening 10 minutes, Villa twice came within a whisker of taking the lead.

Their first real attack caused problems for the home defence and when Grealish whipped the ball across the face of goal, Anwar El Ghazi somehow failed to turn it in after arriving at the far post.

Moments later Bolton were wobbling again. El Ghazi delivered a cross which wasn’t properly cleared and when Adomah lobbed the ball back into the danger zone, Ben Alnwick was unable to hold it.

The keeper only succeeded in lobbing the ball to John McGinn whose header towards goal was cleared off the line by Harry Brockbank.

McGinn also tested Alnwick with a low drive which the keeper saved down to his left, following a training ground corner routine with Grealish.

Yet while it was Villa making nearly all of the running, their build-up play was too often ponderous and failed to exert the necessary pressure on a home backline further weakened on 36 minutes by the loss of skipper David Wheater to injury.

Bolton were battling for everything and gave Villa a reminder they were not entirely toothless shortly before half-time.

The ball dropped invitingly to Clayton Donaldson on the edge of the box but the former Blues striker, who had time to pick his spot, was unable to send the shot wide of Jed Steer, who saved diving to his left.

Villa were given another scare in stoppage time when their keeper failed to hold a deep Brockbank cross and Tuanzebe was in the right place to block Will Buckley’s shot.

It needed a moment of quality to break down Bolton’s defences and Abraham duly delivered it within two minutes of the restart.

From wide on the right, the striker delivered the kind of cross he himself has thrived on this season which Grealish, arriving at the far post, headed beyond Alnwick for his fourth goal in eight appearances.

He was denied a fifth soon after by the keeper, who dived to his left to push away a curling effort as Villa, buoyed by the goal, piled on the pressure. Alnwick also showed sharp reflexes to keep out a Mings header from the resultant corner but a second Villa goal was beginning to look inevitable and duly arrived 11 minutes into the half.

Grealish was again heavily involved, making a run behind the defence which McGinn picked out with a clever lofted pass.

Mark Beevers, back peddling, was able to get the slightest of touches to deny Grealish a first-time shot. Yet the Villa skipper merely improvised, flicking the ball back for Abraham to head home his 25th of the season.

The only downside for Villa was the fact Abraham, who had dived between two defenders in order to reach the ball, was hurt in the process of scoring and had to be replaced by Keinan Davis.

The youngster came close to opening his account for the season but shot wide when well place, while Jedinak - who replaced Tuanzebe, also saw an effort deflected off target as Villa cruised to the finish.

TEAMS:

Bolton (4-5-1): Alnwick, Connolly, Wheater (Beevers 36), Brockbank, Taylor, Buckley, Hobbs, O’Neil (Magennis 45), Connell, Williams, Donaldson (Oztumer 80) Subs not used: Vela, Olkowski, Wildschut, Williams (gk).

Villa (4-3-3): Steer, Elmohamady, Tuanzebe (Jedinak 73), Mings, Taylor, McGinn (Hourihane 72), Whelan, Grealish, Adomah, Abraham (Davis 60), El Ghazi Subs not used: Bjarnason, Lansbury, Green, Sarkic (gk).