Dwight Yorke condemned Leeds to defeat by scoring two goals and making Aston Villa's third for Alan Wright.

Yorke struck first after just 11 minutes with his 50th goal for Villa and rammed home his 14th of the season in the 23rd minute to make it 41 wins and just one defeat from the 45 games in which he has scored for the cub.

The 24-year-old Tobagan went desperately close to a hat trick before setting up Wright for his first Villa Park goal as the Midlanders cruised to one of their best wins of a season that is witnessing their rejuvenation.

Yorke pounced as Carlton Palmer's clearance cannon off Savo Milosevic and dashed forward into the right side the penalty area before drilling the ball inside Mark Beeney’s left-hand post.

His first was a real gem - a flying leap and precision glancing header inside the back post from Gary Charles' right wing cross after the former England full-back and midfielder Mark Draper had scrapped to retrieve the ball near the halfway line.

It was a stirring response from Villa to their midweek defeat to Liverpool's deadly duo, Robbie Fowler and Stan Collymore.

Though they were without injured centre-half Ugo Ehiogu, Steve Staunton slotted effortlessly into Little’s sophisticated back three givind Mark Bosnich a largely leisurely afternoon.

They could pick off Leeds at their leisure and clinched the points in the 62nd minute with Wright's second goal since leaving Blackburn.