Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill was delighted with the form of his fringe players in their UEFA Cup victory against Sparta Prague last week.

He said: "I thought Moustapha Salifou was terrific in the first half. Craig Gardner and Steve Sidwell did fantastically well too.

"They all got tired around the same time, which I thought they might do, but their freshness carried us through. And Brad Guzan was exceptional."