Aston Villa took on Hull City in the Premier League this afternoon, with both clubs looking to build on impressive starts to the new season.
Villa were dominant throughout the first half and they went ahead thanks to a tidy finish from Gabby Agbonlahor.
The hosts put themselves two up when Andreas Weimann made the most of Kieran Richardson's cross, before an own goal from Aly Cissokho prompted a tense finish.
Here, Sports Mole runs the rule over the game, as Villa grabbed all three points with an impressive display.
Match statistics
Aston Villa
Shots: 11
On target: 4
Possession: 45%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 9
Hull City
Shots: 9
On target: 3
Possession: 55%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 10
Was the result fair?
Villa fully deserved their three points this afternoon. They were in control up until the final 10 minutes when a goal from a set piece altered the balance. The hosts showed guile and pace in attack and this ultimately proved the difference. A showing of consummate professionalism was summed up by the performance of substitute Jack Grealish, who was introduced to help close out the game and did so with an air of quality.
Aston Villa's performance
Paul Lambert has been full of praise for his side recently and they've responded to their League Cup elimination in great style. The Villans blew Hull away in the first half with their high-tempo pressing and movement when in possession. Agbonlahor was a pleasure to watch on the wing and his running made space for Weimann and Fabian Delph to impact the game.
Hull City's performance
It looked as though Hull's Europa League exploits had taken their toll on the visitors this afternoon. They were second to almost every ball, while the usually reliable Tom Huddleston and Jake Livermore failed to get a foothold in the centre of the pitch. Bruce looked to change his formation after the break and the introduction of striker Sone Aluko changed the game, but it was too little too late from a side who looked weathered in every section of the pitch.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Gabby Agbonlahor:
Such was the impressive nature of Agbonlahor's performance, he was given a standing ovation when he was replaced by Darren Bent late on. From the off he looked to peg the right-back into a corner and this opened up acres of space for Delph to exploit. His direct running also drew centre-backs out on occasion, leaving more room for Weimann to operate. As well as being smart in possession, he also took his goal wonderfully well.
Biggest gaffe
Tom Huddlestone didn't have the greatest day in a Hull shirt and that was both his own fault and that of Bruce's. He was poor on the ball and failed to deliver a number of forward balls into Nikica Jelavic. However, he was deployed deep alongside Livermore and would have benefited from being moved into a more advanced role.
Referee performance
Mark Clattenburg performed efficiently. He did not have too many calls to make and kept his cards in his pocket until necessary. He booked Curtis Davies in the opening half to set a precedent and did not need to draw for any more colours until late on as Hull became increasingly frustrated.
What next?
Aston Villa:
The hosts will be looking to march on following a strong start to the season. They go into the international break with seven points from three and should also be boosted by the return of defender Jores Okore by the time they are next back in action away against Liverpool.
Hull City:
This defeat will not have hurt Hull too much given their circumstances midweek, but Bruce will have plenty to think about given his side's inability to keep the ball and create chances this afternoon. Aluko changed things significantly in the second half and the Hull boss may look to make more use of him next time out when they welcome West Ham United to the KC Stadium.
No Data Analysis info
