Villa shoot down struggling Swans

Wrexham 0 Aston Villa 5

Aston Villa striker Shaun Maloney shrugged off speculation about his future to score twice in a Carling Cup rout at the Racecourse Ground.

Maloney, who has been linked with a swift move back to Celtic, added to Saturday’s injury-time winner over Fulham with a brace against the League Two side.

Martin O’Neill made six changes but his side ultimately coasted home, with Maloney’s goals supplemented by further strikes from Luke Moore, Nigel Reo-Coker and Marlon Harewood.

But Wrexham may still reflect on what might have been after restricting the visitors to one goal at the break and missing two glorious chances to equalise.

Eifion Williams and Chris Llewellyn both forced fine saves out of Villa keeper Stuart Taylor early in the opening moments of the first half before the visitors ran riot.

The impressive Maloney had served notice of his intentions down the left from the very first minute, when he screwed a free-kick over Michael Jones’ bar.

But the home side certainly had their moments in the opening quarter hour with Williams finding space himself down the left but failing to summon the crucial final ball.

Steve Evans just failed get a touch onto Llewellyn’s deflected free-kick in the 28th minute before Gareth Barry played in Maloney at the other end and his curling shot beat Jones.

Villa almost went further ahead in the 39th minute when Gabriel Agbonlahor crossed low from the right and Harewood was inches from connecting in front of goal.

But Brian Carey’s men were still in the tie and within seconds of the restart Michael Proctor’s clever-lay off sent Williams racing clear only for Taylor to parry his shot.

In the 49th minute the home side came even closer to equalising, when Williams crossed for Llewellyn, whose shot on the turn was scrabbled out for a corner by the Villa keeper.

It was the home side’s last chance as Villa responded by turning on the style. First Harewood clattered the base of Jones’ left-hand post with a long-range effort.

Then in the 52nd minute Barry dropped a free-kick from the right flank perfectly onto the head of Moore, whose lofted effort beat Jones and sailed into the top corner.

Villa grabbed their third in the 62nd minute when Harewood sent through Reo-Coker, who capitalised on a mistake by Shaun Pejic to slide the ball past Jones.

And with the visitors now threatening to score almost at will, Agbonlahor breezed clean through and was only denied when Jones bravely dived at his feet.

Maloney grabbed his own slightly fortunate second in the 71st minute when he struck a long-range effort whose bounce caught out Jones and bobbled into the net for Villa’s fourth.

And there was to be no respite for the dejected home side, who conceded their fifth in the 79th minute when Harewood swept home at close range from Maloney’s corner.