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Gratitude is not easily afforded to former managers. Martin O’Neill should have expected better than the cacophony of boos that reverberated around Villa Park, drowning out much polite applause, as he sheepishly stepped out of the tunnel when he walked back in at half-time and full-time.

Despite managing Aston Villa to three top-six finishes and two Wembley outings, those achievements have been outweighed, in the eyes of some Villa fans, by the sudden, fractious nature of his exit.

But O’Neill was diplomatic afterwards, surprisingly saying sorry. “I think that’s very natural,” he said, discussing the unforgiving section of the home support.

“They’ve never known the reasons for leaving. I was expecting it and I got it. There’s the idea that I left them in the lurch. I apologise maybe.”

O’Neill’s body language looked uncomfortable when he emerged before kick-off and was not helped by his Sunderland side having a goal disallowed, when Nicklas Bendtner was penalised in a tight offside call.

It also proved an unhappy return for former midfielder Craig Gardner who was sent off late on.

Gardner was booed as he trudged from the field but took off his shirt to reveal a T-shirt showing his support for former team-mate Stiliyan Petrov. At least the Villa fans had the sense to applaud that.

Then again, they did not know who to boo at the end. Villa manager Alex McLeish did not do much to generate more warmth from his crowd with this result. This match proved another failure to turn pressure into goals with Andreas Weimann looking enthusiastic but proving wasteful.

“Our boys made enough chances to win it,” said McLeish. “We’ve got four big battles to go and we are capable of taking points in every one. The boys played out of their skins to try to get the goal and to preserve our own goal.”

Villa had quickly seized the initiative as Simon Mignolet saved from Weimann – after a poor Phil Bardsley back pass – then Gabriel Agbonlahor and Charles N’Zogbia both had shots diverted off target.

As the second half went on, a pattern emerged of Villa piling forward but not finding any cutting edge, while Sunderland kept creating excellent opportunities on the counter-attack.

Sebastian Larsson curled in a cross that Bendtner slid in to finish before the linesman’s flag curtailed celebrations
Sunderland’s frustration was compounded as Gardner received his second yellow for a late challenge on Barry Bannan. O’Neill looked a forlorn figure as he walked away.