ASTON VILLA. the bookmakers choice in the wide open Premier League title race seemed odds on to apply more pressure on leaders Norwich when Garry Parker volleyed them into a thunderous lead after 34 minutes.

They had wit and poise and Paul McGrath continued to look arguably Europe's smoothest, most resilient central defender.

Only a special effort could have obscured this picture of a genuine title claimant coming into sharp focus.

But to the distress of their manager Ron Atkinson that special effort came from Steve McMahon, a man who some were beginning to consign to the forlorn ranks of football's yesterday men.

McMahon shook off the spectre with a superbly controlled performance after an uncertain start which matched in frailty that of his player-manager Peter Reid.

Reid was eventually pulled off the field after a half-time discussion with coach Sam Ellis after 58 minutes.

McMahon went from strength to strength. Cleverly switching the emphasis from a stream of high balls to Niall Quinn.

McMahon's incisive passing gave City a range to their game which had been increasingly absent in a run of three successive defeats.

Inevitably City equalised, 20 year-old Garry Flitcroft heading past Nigel Spink after Mike Sheron, Reid's replacement, sent fullback lan Brightwell away down the right flank with his first touch.

Brightwell's cross arrived in Flitcroft’s path quite perfectly.

City might well have scooped up all the points when Quinn and then Sheron came within an inch of beating Spink again.

McMahon said: "We feel we’ve come a long way back. We were getting a lot of stick for playing the ball from back to front, we varied it a bit today and I think we looked a lot better for it."

Atkinson said that he was dissatisfied with the performance of his team and bemoaned an increasing tendency to lose the ball under pressure.

Certainly the recurrence of injury to Dalian Atkinson badly affected Villa's ability to maintain pressure on the City back four.

Villa, though, can point to the absence of frontline forwards like Cyrille Regis. Tony Daley and Steve Frogatt.

Given these absences. Villa did suggest that the bookmakers may not be too far away from the truth.

Certainly Villa have impressive certainty at the back, with Shaun Teale and McGrath forming perhaps the most obdurate central defence in the League.

Assisted by the pace of substitute Sheron, Quinn did much to challenge the pair but always Villa had a little time to cut off danger.

Atkinson said: "We played well at times and obviously we had our chances. But I don't go along with this business of us being favourites. I think there are other clubs with better qualifications."

That can be written off, perhaps, as a little bit of psychology.