Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill was delighted with John Carew's performance after he struck the equaliser in their 1-1 draw with Manchester City.

He said; "John was phenomenal. He was immense although he might not get the number of free-kicks he deserves when people are holding on to him.

"If he can stay fit, he will be a big plus for us. He has missed a chunk of the season because of injury but when he has been fit he has been terrific for us.

"His goal was wonderful and today he caused problems for some top defenders."

O'Neill added: "I think it was a case of two points lost. You couldn't fault the effort or determination but we had chances.

"John hit the post and we had another one cleared off the line. We should have been in front by half time.

"We've now got a tough period coming up but this time of the year is always critical because there are so many games in quick succession.

"You can recover from a poor Christmas but if you can do well it gives you an enormous spur."