Aston Villa Under-21s thrashed Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League Cup at Bodymoor Heath on Friday night.
Two goals inside the opening eight minutes set Ińigo Idiakez’s side on their way as Ben Broggio tapped home the opener before teeing up Kobei Moore.
The chances continued to flow for the hosts and they extended their lead when Rico Richards chipped home a third goal shortly before half-time.
Number four arrived on 56 minutes when Tommi O’Reilly won the ball high up the pitch and provided a placed finish.
Villa were in complete control of the contest but finished the game with ten men when Josh Feeney was shown a second yellow card late on.
Victory keeps the Young Lions top of Group A with ten points from their four matches ahead of a trip to Hull City in January.
Villa came into the match in a strong position in Group A, leading the way with seven points from their opening three matches.
And the Young Lions raced out of the traps, taking the lead after four minutes.
Triston Rowe cut in from the right and played O’Reilly through on goal, and when the midfielder’s low shot was parried by Tommy Reid, Broggio was on hand to tap home the rebound.
Broggio turned creator as his side doubled their lead in the eighth minute, turning away from his man and laying a ball across for Moore to apply a simple finish.
Villa’s relentless press coupled with Brighton’s determination to play out from the back led to further opportunities for Moore and Todd Alcock, who were both denied by smart saves from Reid.
At the other end, Sam Proctor looked assured and confident in goal for the home side, producing two fine stops in the first half to maintain their two-goal lead.
And minutes before half-time, a third goal arrived when Richards took advantage of loose handling by a sliding Reid, scooping the ball over the ‘keeper and a retreating defender.
The visitors made a triple change at half-time in a bid to change their fortunes, and they started to dominate territory and possession in a way they hadn’t managed in the first 45 minutes.
But their frailties at the back remained and they were four down when O’Reilly robbed last man Ben Jackson of the ball and progressed into the box before slotting a shot into the far corner.
Broggio slid an effort narrowly wide before his strong individual performance came to an end when he was replaced by Jamaldeen Jimoh with 20 minutes to play.
Along with the rest of the defence, Feeney had hardly put a foot wrong before an ill-timed slide tackle saw him shown a second yellow card in the closing minutes.
Aston Villa: Proctor, Triston Rowe, Feeney, Smith, Munroe (Ealing 78’), Alcock, T.O’Reilly, Borland, Broggio (Jimoh 71’), Richards (Pierre 78’), Moore (Wilson 78’).
Unused subs: Lewis.
