Ray Harford invited Wimbledon's long queue of critics to consider the evidence for the defence his team produced in this comprehensive victory.

Harford painfully aware of the Dons' long-standing reputation as a bunch of clogging up-and-under merchants said: “I wish everybody in football could have seen this game - I don't know whether we’ll ever win over the general public but what happened today showed that we are prepared to play and not just whack it about.

“We moved the ball around, didn't lump it in the air.

”This was one of our best performances of the season - I really liked the way we went about our business. A very quick and very incisive side - that's us.”

You can almost hear the doubting chorus of "Oh yeah?" from Villa Park

But what Harford said was right to a degree.

Villa last year's runners-up and this year's relegation possibles were played not kicked - off the park.

Under-pressure Villa boss Jo Venglos admitted as much when said:

"They deserved to win. They worked harder. They showed more will.”