Sun shines on Little's Villa

BRIAN LITTLE admits he has moulded Aston Villa into early Premiership pacesetters almost by accident.

When the Villa Park boss paid Crystal Palace £2.5 million for Gareth Southgate in June he intended slotting him into midfield.

But the later acquisition of Leicester's Mark Draper meant Southgate starting alongside Paul McGrath and Ugo Ehiogu in Villa's triple central defensive barrier.

Southgate looked so commanding in Villa's 1-0 win over Tottenham last night that he might have spent his entire career in the role.

Little said: "Initially my thoughts about Gareth were that he was a good midfield player. But a week or two later Mark became available and Gareth settled into a different role. They both help to balance the team now. Whether that will be a permanent situation remains to be seen."

The solid performances of McGrath and Southgate against £4 million Chris Armstrong and England's Teddy Sheringham allowed Ehiogu to steal forward and head the only goal of the game from Draper's 69th-minute corner.

It meant Villa 3-1 winners over Manchester United on Saturday maintained their 100% record.

"Our system at the back is working well. People talk about a lack of wingers but with three centre-backs, if you pick your full-backs right, you can still have width."

Draper has orchestrated Villa's early surge superbly and his side's fans will be holding their breath today as he undergoes treatment to a damaged ankle in the hope of being fit for Saturday's match against Leeds.