Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov believes Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry won't hold a grudge against his old club after the boos he copped on Monday.

“We played together for nearly three-and-a-half years,” said Petrov.

“Gareth is a great player. He has moved over there and is trying to achieve something else. It was a different atmosphere for him.

“It was a mixed reception, some people were clapping, some people were booing.

‘‘That’s the way it goes. I think Gareth was prepared for that and he was concentrating on the game and not what the fans were saying.”