This doesn’t require a great deal of narrative, it was never going to be a classic. The statistics reflect a very even affair and, though it may be easy to claim after the event, I really don’t think that Villa did much more than was required.

Young’s 11th minute goal is worthy of mention beyond the merits of being the game’s only goal. It was a very fitting finale to a series of 6 or 7 shorts passes in the left-hand channel between Gabby, Warnock, Petrov and Ash himself and also a perfect illustration of what the inside-out winger can deliver. Nothing new for Ash, but nice to see some of the more intricate passages of play that Aston Villa create – despite what our critics would have you believe – deliver a goal.

That said, it was a piece of majestic beauty.

0	Bolton	Apr 3rd 2010	Aston Villa	1
	52%	Possession %	48%
	19	Shots	16
	5	On Target	5
	6	Corners	8
	1	Offsides	4
		Scorers	11′ A Young
Ricketts, Jaaskelainen		Booked
		Sent Off
	187	Good Passes	194
	49%	CPS %	51%
	81	Bad Passes	70
	70%	Completion %	73%
	17	Interceptions	19
	47	Tackles Won	31
	25	Tackles Lost	26
	7	Blocks	5
	18	Free Kicks	14
Starting XI: 1. Friedel 24. Cuellar 25. Warnock 29. Collins 5. Dunne 19. Petrov 16. Delph 7. Young 6. Downing 11. Agbonlahor 10. Carew Subs: 22. Guzan 14. Delfouneso 4. Sidwell 8. Milner 2. Young 23. Beye 18. Heskey
Average Position Map

[Original data and graphics courtesy of ESPN and The Guardian]