Carew goal seals Villa win

Slavia Prague 0 Aston Villa 1

Aston Villa took a giant step towards qualification for the UEFA Cup knockout stages tonight by becoming the first team to beat Slavia Prague at their new Eden Stadion.

John Carew’s fortuitous 26th-minute goal, when he deflected in a shot from Steve Sidwell, gave a much-changed Villa side a deserved lead at half-time.

The second half was a different story as Slavia saw chance after chance go begging, but Martin O’Neill’s team held on to make it six points from two games in Group F.