*Craig Bellamy’s second-half equaliser earned Manchester City a deserved point and lifted them into the top four after former captain Richard Dunne threatened to wreck Gareth Barry’s return to Aston Villa.*

Dunne declined the opportunity to celebrate in front of City’s fans when he beat Barry to James Milner’s corner to head Villa in front early on.

And he almost added a second before City’s growing superiority was rewarded when Bellamy turned Emmanuel Adebayor’s cross high beyond Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel after 67 minutes.

City looked the more likely to claim the three points in the closing stages of an entertaining confrontation between two clubs hoping to disturb the established order in the top four of the Premier League.

A defeat would have been cruel on Dunne, who delivered a magnificent performance at the heart of Aston Villa’s defence as well as scoring his side’s goal. He was colossal in tandem with James Collins and barely put a foot wrong.

Dunne’s measured response to his goal was a reaction to a rapturous reception he received from Manchester City’s fans, while former Villa captain Barry gave a typically mature display despite getting a hostile welcome from the supporters who idolised him over a career at the club that spanned 11 years and 440 appearances.

City boss Mark Hughes may just take a greater measure of satisfaction from the result than opposite number Martin O’Neill as the visitors showed resilience after falling behind, and greater quality in midfield and attack.

The £40m central defensive partnership of Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott remains a work in progress, unlike the Villa pairing of Dunne and Collins, but if Hughes can fine-tune this aspect of his expensively-assembled side, then the feeling that they are going places this season will only increase.

Barry’s discomfort started from the moment he emerged from Manchester City’s team bus after it pulled into Villa Park; any hopes of a warm greeting disappeared when Barry was met by resounding jeers from fans who once idolised him.

In contrast, Dunne was warmly received by City’s travelling support, a gesture the former Eastlands captain clearly appreciated after nine years at a club where he became a popular figure.

Villa almost opened the scoring inside two minutes when Collins touched on Ashley Young’s corner and City keeper Shay Given was forced to scramble in front of John Carew to save with his legs at the near post.

It had been an ambitious opening from both teams, and Adebayor, returning from a three-game ban imposed for his stamp on former Arsenal team-mate Robin van Persie, almost cashed in on a slick exchange between Wayne Bridge and Bellamy.

O’Neill’s side broke the deadlock after 15 minutes, and it was a goal heavily laced with irony as former City captain Dunne rose above ex-Villa skipper Barry to head powerfully beyond Given.

Dunne repaid the respect shown to him by City’s fans by pointedly refusing to show any signs of elation as he was mobbed by his Villa colleagues.

City pressed for the equaliser, and Carlos Tevez tested Friedel with a long-range shot that got the faintest touch off Adebayor but flew straight into the arms of the grateful Villa keeper.

Villa suffered a scare 10 minutes before the interval when Young was sent flying by Nigel de Jong on the edge of the area in a clash that earned the City midfield man a yellow card from referee Mike Dean.

Young was forced to leave the field for lengthy treatment, but recovered sufficiently to take his place at the start of the second half.

The lingering ill-feeling surrounding Barry’s summer switch to City was illustrated when he went towards the touchline to take a free-kick, only to be greeted by an angry Villa fan waving fake £50 banknotes with Barry’s face printed on them in his direction.

Milner squandered a chance to double Villa’s lead after 49 minutes when he fired an angled shot across the face of the goal after he was found by Steve Sidwell.

It was the signal for City boss Hughes to make a change, replacing the limping De Jong with Stephen Ireland.

Dunne, not exactly renowned as a marksman, almost doubled his tally with a replica of his first goal after 58 minutes. He met another Milner corner with his head, with Barry again beaten, but this time his downward header was inches off target.

City made the most of the reprieve with an equaliser after 67 minutes in a passage of the game that provided the perfect illustration of the attacking riches at their disposal.

Bellamy lashed a finish high past Friedel on the turn from Adebayor’s pass - and Hughes’ immediate response was to replace Tevez with Roque Santa Cruz.

City’s reaction after the break had been impressive, and the arrival of Ireland had provided a new dimension in midfield, allowing them to put their stamp on proceedings.

It would have been harsh on either side had the other claimed a late winner - and despite great energy being expended in five minutes of stoppage time that brought an angry response from Hughes as he heard echoes of the late loss at Manchester United, the points were shared.

*Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill:*

“I’m disappointed with the result but not the performance because we were just fantastic.

“The first half was just about the best we have played and we could have gone 2-0 up. City came into it after because they are a very, very good side.

“The players and the crowd were all fantastic tonight. We were very strong and we played some great stuff too.”