Conor Hourihane’s 25th minute goal has given Aston Villa a 1-0 lead over the Blues at half-time, with Town having been reduced to 10 men following Grant Ward’s late red card.
Bersant Celina returned to an otherwise unchanged Town side having missed the trip to Nottingham Forest last week as he was ill.
The on-loan Manchester City man came into the side for Ben Morris, who dropped out of the 18, and lined-up just off main striker Martyn Waghorn.
For Villa, ex-Blue Hourihane and Birkir Bjarnason came into the team for Robert Snodgrass, who was among the subs, and Jonathan Kodjia, who was injured.
Town created the first chance of the game in the fourth minute when Waghorn found Ward was a cross-field pass. As a Villa defender slipped, the right wing-back crossed and the ball reached Myles Kenlock in space beyond the far post but the left wing-back scuffed well wide when he had a good opportunity to net his first senior goal.
Villa first threatened on 13 when Hourihane sent over a freekick which Bartosz Bialkowski punched as he was foul by Mile Jedinak. The keeper looked to take a knock on the hip but was OK to carry on.
As the game approached the 20-minute mark Jordan Spence’s cross from the right eventually found Tristan Nydam, who teed-up Jonas Knudsen, but the Danish international’s shot was blocked. Nydam subsequently whipped over another cross but ahead of his team-mates.
In the 21st minute Hourihane struck a powerful effort from distance which stand-in skipper Cole Skuse deflected over.
While Villa had had most of the ball, Town had looked the more dangerous side but in the 25th minute the visitors took the lead in slightly fortuitous circumstances.
Lewis Grabban cut in from the left and hit a shot which deflected of Skuse and struck Bialkowski’s right post. The ball rebounded straight to Hourihane, who tapped home his 11th goal of the season from close range.
Town looked to hit straight back, Ward broke away on the left of the box but his low cross was cut out.
Hourihane curled a freekick over at the other end in the 40th minute with chances rare at both ends.
Two minutes later, the Blues were reduced to 10 men when Ward was sent off for catching Neil Taylor with a high boot. The dismissal seemed a touch harsh on the former Spurs man as his eyes were firmly on the ball as he looked to take it down on the turn from a Luke Hyam header and inadvertently caught the Villa left-back with his studs.
One or two Villa players tried to rather unnecessarily square up to Ward before referee Simon Hooper issued his card and the disconsolate Ward made his way along the touchline to the tunnel.
There was little of note in the remaining minutes - aside from boos directed towards Taylor - before the break.
The half-time scoreline was tough on the Blues who had been looked the more dangerous side prior to the goal.
Going by the letter of the law the red card may have been justified as Ward caught Taylor well up his leg, however, there was no malice and he was trying to take the ball down rather than making a tackle. There was certainly no intention to injure the Villa player.
The Blues, who had switched to a 4-4-1 system for the remaining minutes of the half, have an uphill battle to get anything out of caretaker-manager Bryan Klug’s first home game in charge.
Villa: Johnstone, Elmohamady, Chester, Jedinak, Taylor, Bjarnason, Hourihane, Whelan, Onomah, Grealish, Grabban. Subs: Bunn, Samba, Snodgrass, Lansbury, Hogan, Bree, Adomah.
Town: Bialkowski, Spence, Carter-Vickers, Knudsen, Ward, Skuse (c), Hyam, Nydam, Kenlock, Celina, Waghorn. Subs: M Crowe, Connolly, Sears, Gleeson, Carayol, Folami, Smith. Referee: Simon Hooper (Wiltshire).