THREE months of growing doubt as to the true pedigree of their team was answered positively by Aston Villa at Highbury last night.

One calculated act of assassination by Dalian Atkinson as early as the fifth minute was enough to end the interest of last season's Cup kings in the first of their conquests.

But Villa had no less than four other one-in-one opportunities to make Arsenal's late flurry an academic exercise.

Arsenal were outmanoeuvred for 75 minutes of this fourth round tie, silenced by counter-attacks of a pace and vision that ripped the Premiership's meanest defence asunder.

Villa's smallish contingent outshouted 25,000 fans who had grown fat on 25 knock-out matches without defeat.

Well, this one came with the blinding speed of Dalian Atkinson who may not possess the strut or workrate of lan Wright but has the striking credentials, all right.

Ray Houghton fed Dean Saunders who lost control but was lucky to key in Atkinson for a swift move past Nigel Winterburn before tucking the ball under goalkeeper David Seaman.

Arsenal barely reacted. Sluggishly, they attempted to set up Wright but the England man was tightly marked by Earl Barrett, preferred to Shaun Teale in that man-for-man role, Teale performing capably at left-back.

Atkinson's team selection was absolutely right, as the midfield of Garry Parker, Ray Houghton and Kevin Richardson proved with a collective display that was able to turn disciplined defence into vivid attack in a way that was far beyond Arsenal's plodding set.

Villa's first-half mastery should have been rewarded by at least three goals, for they broke keenly and cut deep.

The first of the naked misses came when Parker squared the ball to Cox whose parallel pass was taken by Saunders around Bould only for the Welshman to shoot into the side netting after 17 minutes.

Ron Atkinson said later that video evidence showed Saunders to be two yards onside when-he rolled the ball wide of Seaman in the 37th minute.

Referee Gifford did not agree but his decision should have been rendered unimportant, anyway, when Dalian was set free in the Arsenal penalty area by Houghton's delicately chipped pass.

Atkinson shot at Seaman for miss No 2 and Andy Townsend did no better from a more acute angle.

Saunders became the guiltiest of the culprits when he failed to beat Seaman in front of goal after Steve Mould missed a clearance.

Atkinson then drove a thunderous low shot past Seaman but Saunders was again ruled offside.

It needed a double substitution in the 71st minute to generate a frantic Arsenal response which demanded that Wright should be everywhere.

Barrett dealt effectively with him, even throwing himself in front of one goalbound shot, while Mark Bosnich touched a header over the bar.

Villa, five wins and a draw in their six most recent matches against Arsenal, never hinted of susceptibility.