Villa boss hails another commanding performance from his troops

Martin O'Neill was in joyous mood after seeing his Aston Villa side see off Sunderland 2-0

The victory moves Villa back into third spot in the Premier League table and leaves them ideally placed to mount a push for UEFA Champions League qualification.

Villa had underlined their credentials with a 1-0 victory over reigning champions Manchester United on Saturday, but knew they would be in for another tough evening in the North East in midweek.

However, they displayed no sign of tiredness as goals from Emile Heskey and James Milner saw them to a comfortable three points.

O'Neill was delighted with Villa's overall showing at the Stadium of Light, with the result and performance giving him a great deal of pleasure.

"We played some great football again tonight, on the back of a great performance on Saturday, and this was very important for us.

"We went again and we showed a lot of determination and ability. I think we deserved to win the game.

I think people were starting to think, after our exploits on Saturday against Manchester United, that we would just come up here and perform. I wish it was as simple as that.

"We worked exceptionally hard tonight and we got the great goals as well. It was nice to see the performance and the result go hand-in-hand."

O'Neill added: "I always thought it was going to be difficult. It was the energy which was concerning me, because it was a big effort on Saturday evening.

"To come back again and go with the same starting XI was a big ask, but they have come out and worked very hard. I couldn't be more pleased with them because this was a difficult fixture."

O'Neill was also full of praise for Milner, who was once again asked to fill an unfamiliar role in the centre of midfield but responded in spectacular style as he bagged a 25-yard thunderbolt to wrap up the points.

"He's playing magnificently," said the Villa boss. "He's playing with a great confidence and I think that shows in his game.

"That is maybe his fourth or fifth start in the centre of midfield and you would have thought he had played 100 times in there."