Villa's Young thrives on short rations but O’Neill says give him more

Young, a £9.6 million signing from Watford 10 months ago,was part of a vibrant Villa attack which proved far too tricky for bottom club Derby. With England's Gareth Barry orchestrating from midfield,Young and his fellow England hopeful, Gabriel Agbonlahor, ran Derby ragged.

However, it was Young who took the plaudits by scoring one goal and making another before leaving the pitch early with a slight groin strain.

O'Neill said: "Ashley can become a really great player. His confidence is so high at the moment he feels something is going to happen whenever he gets the ball.Unfortunately,we didn't give him enough of the ball."

Villa took almost an hour to pierce the Derby back four, a set-piece routine finally breaking Derby's resistance on 57 minutes.

Young launched a free-kick into the Derby danger area and picked out Barry at the far post.

The England star could have gone for glory, but headed back across goal for Martin Laursen to finish on the goalline. Villa doubled their lead just four minutes later.

Derby left-back James McEveley misjudged an attempted pass and Agbonlahor pounced with glee. His shot was parried by Stephen Bywater, but Nigel Reo-Coker hooked the rebound back in and Young applied the finish.

Derby, without a win at Villa Park since 1988 and the only team in all four divisions yet to register an away goal, had few attacking moments. Their best efforts — an early strike by Craig Fagan and a late run and shot by substitute Robert Earnshaw — failed even to hit the target. At the final whistle keeper Bywater and midfielder Dean Leacock had to be pulled apart.

Derby boss Billy Davies denied there is any bad feeling in the team, saying: "Let's have more of it, let's be at each other's throats. It was a debate on a football pitch — big wow."

Depressingly for Davies, it is now 431 minutes since Derby last scored a Premier League goal.

ASTON VILLA (4-4-2): Carson; Mellberg, Knight (Davies 88min), Laursen, Bouma; Petrov, Reo-Coker, Barry, Young (Maloney 69); Agbonlahor, Moore (Berger 77). Subs (not used): Taylor, Gardner.

DERBY (4-5-1): Bywater; Griffin, Moore, Davis (Teale 46), McEveley; Fagan (Earnshaw 66), Oakley, Leacock, Pearson, Barnes; Howard. Subs (not used): Price, Jones, Mears. Booked: Griffin, Moore, Howard.

Referee: M Halsey (Lancashire).