Mark Bosnich is not easily embarrassed but there is one thing that makes even the brash Aussie bashful.

He cringes every time his Aston Villa manager Ron Atkinson hails him as "the best goalkeeper in the world".

But Bosnich lived up to the billing with a brilliant display in Villa's 4-1 Coca-Cola Cup triumph against Sunderland, which earned a standing ovation from the Roker Park crowd.

He was named man-of-the-match after an incredible string of saves to break the hearts of first division Sunderland, who, despite the scoreline, played Villa off the park.

Bosnich goes red when reminded of the manager's words and says: “I’m not the best in the world and it embarrasses me when he says that. I wish he would say potentially because I have still got so much to learn.

While Bosnich was keeping Terry Butcher's side at bay, his team mates were staging an audacious smash-and-grab raid.

Dalian Atkinson put Villa in front from their first attack after 27 minutes and seven minutes later skipper Kevin Richardson made it 2-0.

But such was the Sunderland pressure that Ron Atkinson quipped: "At 2-0 up I thought we were on for a 3-3 draw."

His fears looked like materialising when Phil Gray finally beat Bosnich within minutes of the restart, but he refused to be beaten again and made one incredible save from Martin Smith, as well as denying the ever-dangerous Don Goodman.

Villa substitute Ray Houghton then added insult to injury when he scored with his first touch after 75 minutes, before Dalian Atkinson grabbed his second in the 89th minute.

Ron Atkinson summed it up saying: "We won 4-1 but we owe that result to our goalkeeper. We took a battering."