Aitken salutes lethal Phillips
Roy Aitken paid tribute to Aston Villa striker Kevin Phillips as he paid back another slice of his £750,000 (€1.1m) transfer fee by powering the club into the last 16 of the Carling Cup at the expense of Burnley.
Phillips is already looking a bargain capture and for the second time in three matches his goal was sufficient to clinch victory for David O’Leary’s side.
Burnley boss Steve Cotterill, who was second in command at Sunderland during Phillips’ time on Wearside, had warned of the danger of allowing the 32-year-old even a single chance.
But mid-way through the first half the Clarets’ dogged performance was undone as Phillips exchanged passes with James Milner before slipping the ball into the corner of the net.
Villa number two Aitken said: “Kevin Phillips is a goalscorer. That’s what we have brought him here to do. He is a match-winner, isn’t he? It is great to have someone like Kevin in the team.
“He scored the winner against Birmingham the other week and he has won us this game as well.
"That makes the difference. That’s why your strikers are so important to you. With Kevin in those situations, nine times out of 10 it will produce a goal.”
The other big plus point for Villa, beaten 3-1 by Burnley in this competition last season, was midfielder Gavin McCann and defender Mark Delaney completing 90 minutes action after lengthy lay-offs with respective knee problems.
