ASTON Villa yesterday came through their biggest test to date, their inexperienced team earning their spurs and a point with a battling performance which matched Liverpool all the way.

The immediate beneficiaries are Arsenal, whose win at Coventry puts them top of the table, but we shall now have to take the challenge by Graham Taylor's restructured side with some seriousness.

If anything they will be the more disappointed with the result after leading for 45 minutes.

lan Olney, who gave a quite exceptional display of the centre-forward's art, particularly when left on his own as his side fell back in the second half, had given them a deserved lead in the 21st minute, and thereafter they had looked increasingly secure for all Liverpool's pressure.

The loss of John Barnes with a recurrence of his hamstring injury after 38 minutes had taken much of the flair out of the home side's attack, and although Liverpool beat insistently at Villa's defence as the second half got under way, the lack of wit in their attacks was reflected in the growing growls of frustration which spread round Anfield.

Paul McGrath and his two fellow centre-backs, Kent Nielsen and Derek Mountfield were all playing with imposing conviction.

There was little apparent danger as Ronnie Whelan chipped the ball forward towards Rush, but McGrath let the Welshman, previously his prisoner all afternoon, get goal-side of him, and in his effort to recover he pulled Rush down.

Before the referee had time to give a free-kick however the ball came off Rush's chest back to Beardsley, who fastened on to it to leave Spink helpless with a low drive from twenty yards into the very corner of the net.

Villa had held the lead for 45 minutes.

Yet if Liverpool had the best of the final quarter, Villa could not be taken for granted and at the very close Olney, marauding with purpose past two defenders only to shoot straight at Grobbelaar could have won the game for the visitors.

In the end the result was about right for Villa had played their part in a splendid, passionate occasion.