Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill was delighted with James Milner's goal scoring performance in their Carling Cup win over Portsmouth.

Milner lined up in a less familiar central position and O'Neill was delighted with the way he adapted to the role.

And the fluidity of the trio's display was also pleasing for the boss.

"I thought James played terrifically well. Not only did he score the goal, but it was a great performance," he told Villa's website.

"It didn't cause me undue concern because James can play in there, Ashley Young can play in there and overall these players who can deal with the ball can play in these positions.

"Stewart Downing can play left or right and he can also play off the centre forward, so I never really got too concerned about it."