Aston Villa inflicted Town’s heaviest home defeat in precisely seven years as the Blues were beaten 4-0 having had Grant Ward sent off just prior to half-time. Ex-Blue Conor Hourihane put the Villans ahead on 25 and then in the second half, after Ward had been dismissed for catching Neil Taylor with a high boot, Lewis Grabban scored on 57 and 78 and sub Henri Lansbury in the 82nd minute.
Bersant Celina returned to an otherwise unchanged Town side having missed the trip to Nottingham Forest last week as he was ill, with caretaker-boss Bryan Klug in charge at Portman Road for the first time.
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, with pop star Ed Sheeran watching from the stand, 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 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 make 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, had an uphill battle if they were going to take anything from the game in the second period.
Villa’s Birkir Bjarnason scuffed wide three minutes after the restart, then Josh Onomah hit a low effort which Bialkowski, named Town’s Player of the Year for the third season in a row earlier in the afternoon, tipped wide.
Celina made way for Freddie Sears in the 56th minute with Villa having had most of the ball since the break but without creating a serious chance.
But within a minute they had doubled their lead. The ball was played into Grabban’s feet on the right of the box, the former Norwich man turned his man and hit a shot to Bialkowski’s right and into the net off the inside of the post.
Waghorn hit a low effort which Villa keeper Sam Johnstone claimed with little trouble on the hour, but the visitors were dominating and looking likely to add to their lead.
On 62 Bjarnason shot wide from distance on the right, then three minutes later Villa, keen to improve their goal difference as they continue to target an automatic promotion spot, swapped Taylor for striker Scott Hogan.
Spence made a strong run from deep in the 66th minute and threaded through a pass which was only just beyond Waghorn.
Three minutes later, Bjarnason smashed into the side-netting to Bialkowski’s right, then Nydam was replaced by Callum Connolly for the Blues, Hourihane by Henri Lansbury for Villa and then, after Onomah had shot wide, Hyam by Ben Folami for Town.
Villa made it 3-0 in the 78th minute when Skuse was sold short by Carter-Vickers five yards outside the area on the Town left and Onomah stole possession. The on-loan Tottenham man fed Grabban, who lashed his second of the game into the net, again off the inside of Bialkowski’s right post.
Villa’s fourth of the game came only four minutes later. Bjarnason crossed from the left and the untracked Lansbury headed home from close range.
The Midlanders continued to look for more goals, Hogan shooting not too far wide in the final scheduled minute, then in injury time the former Brentford man shot over on the turn.
But the scoreline remained at 4-0, Town’s heaviest home loss since the 5-1 defeat to Norwich, coincidentally seven years ago to the day.
Despite having gone behind the Blues were very much in the game until the red card. From there it was always going to be tough for Town against one of the division’s top sides, however, caretaker-manager Klug won’t be pleased with the manner in which some of the goals were conceded.
Town, who are now 14th, play their final away game at Reading next Saturday before Middlesbrough visit Portman Road on the final day of the season, a fortnight tomorrow.
Villa: Johnstone, Elmohamady, Chester, Jedinak, Taylor (Hogan 65), Bjarnason, Hourihane (Lansbury 74), Whelan, Onomah, Grealish, Grabban (Adomah 83). Unused: Bunn, Samba, Snodgrass, Bree.
Town: Bialkowski, Spence, Carter-Vickers, Knudsen, Ward, Skuse (c), Hyam (Folami 76), Nydam (Connolly 74), Kenlock, Celina (Sears 56), Waghorn. Unused: M Crowe, Gleeson, Carayol, Smith. Referee: Simon Hooper (Wiltshire). Att: 20,034 (Villa: 1,981).