Game details
Match: Aston Villa U23s v Middlesbrough U23s
Date: January 29, 2018
Competition: Premier League 2
Venue: Bodymoor Heath
Kick-off: 1pm
Scoring summary
O'Hare
Abdo
Hepburn-Murphy (2)
Analysis
Aston Villa U23s returned to the top of the Premier League 2 standings in style with a comfortable 4-0 victory over Middlesbrough U23s at Bodymoor Heath.
The win also takes the Young Lions three points clear of close challengers Boro, who shared second place with us going into the fixture.
Callum O'Hare opened the scoring late in the first half after a quality team move. Rushian Hepburn-Murphy broke down the right-hand side, dribbling through three Boro players, before Corey Blackett-Taylor then laid on O'Hare's header.
In first-half stoppage time, Khalid Abdo then doubled our lead from close range after the opposition goalkeeper parried O'Hare's original effort.
And 10 minutes from the final whistle, Hepburn-Murphy turned on the class with a quickfire brace, leaving the defence for dead to fire home from the right edge of the box on both occasions.
It's now three wins on the bounce in all competitions for our U23s, who head south next time out to take on Brighton & Hove Albion.
Line-up
VILLA: Sarkic; Bree, Bedeau, Suliman, Clark, Blackett-Taylor, Doyle-Hayes, Clarke, Abdo, O'Hare, Hepburn-Murphy. Subs: Johansson, Pastorek, Finnerty, Prosser, Knibbs.
