MATTHEW Le Tissier celebrated his recall to the England fold with a stunning 20- yard volley but even his latest contender for goal of the month was not enough to halt Aston Villa's amazing march on Europe.

Villa boss John Gregory set his side the highly improbable target of winning all their remaining matches when he took charge at the end of February and they have now won seven out of their eight Premiership games since then.

This well-deserved victory was set up by Lee Hendrie's impressive sixth-minute solo effort and was completed with the coolest possible finish from leading scorer Dwight Yorke with half an hour left.

In between those two strikes came Le Tissier's cameo performance, which is sure to make headlines but still unlikely to win him a place on the plane to the World Cup in France.

Hoddle has already revealed that Le Tissier will only be travelling with him to France if he "ends up getting four or five players in a similar mould getting injured".

Even Hoddle cannot fail to be impressed by the television replays of Le Tissier's 20th-minute equaliser. He started the move by setting Francis Benali away down the left and was there to meet Steve Staunton's weak headed clearance on the edge of the penalty area.

Le Tissier hardly broke stride as he sweetly struck his shot into the far corner of the net and three minutes later he could have had a second when he narrowly glanced a header wide from Carlton Palmer's cross.

Yet despite having several more good touches and even the odd display of tackling back, it was Villa who ran the midfield. And no-one was more impressive than 20- year-old Hendrie.

He gave the visitors the lead when he picked up the ball 25 yards out on the right wing and after turning Richard Dryden inside and out. he placed his shot inside the near post. Villa continued to dominate after the break, with Hendrie side-footing a first time shot wide and Jones saving well from Joachim.

But they needed Yorke's coolness to give them their winner when he nonchalantly steered his right-foot volley from Wright's pinpoint cross wide of keeper Jones and into the far corner.

For all Southampton's gallant attempts at an equaliser as Le Tissier faded, it was Villa who deserved the victory and they came the closest to scoring late on with Hendrie firing inches wide and Yorke almost meeting a Joachim cross.