Aston Villa were comfortable 2-0 winners over Fulham at Villa Park in the Premier League.

More Stories

• Matchcast: Aston Villa v Fulham
• Match gallery
• Premier League table

Villa had the perfect start when John Pantsil inadvertently headed into his own net (pictured) from an Ashley Young corner after only two minutes.

Fulham - missing key men Danny Murphy, Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora - offered little resistance before or after Gabriel Agbonlahor smashed in number two in the second half.

Fulham looked fatigued after their midweek trip to Russia, where they scraped through to the Europa League group stage against Amkar Perm.

Villa, knocked out at home by Rapid Vienna, had more about them and the luxury of strikers John Carew and Emile Heskey to come in from the bench.

If Fulham had any chance of taking a point from the game, those hopes were dealt a cruel early blow when Young's pacy set-piece struck Pantstil on the head as he tracked Agbonlahor across the six-yard box and flew into the goal.

Fulham only had themselves to blame as sloppy passing around the back had led to a poor pass back which Mark Schwarzer ran to reach - and sliced behind the goal for the corner.

Young defender Ciaran Clark debuted for the home side and enjoyed as comfortable an experience as he might reasonably have expected.

Clint Dempsey wasted Fulham's only chance of the game, the off-balance midfielder heading over Damien Duff's cross unmarked from eight yards out, while the American later blazed a free-kick just over from 25 yards out.

With Erik Nevland ineffective and Diomansy Kamara willing to chase but unable to provide a cutting edge, the depth of the Cottagers' squad will worry boss Roy Hodgson.

There were plenty of corners and free-kicks in the first half for Villa but no real chances, Brede Hangeland and Aaron Hughes holding firm and Pantsil also playing well enough in his own half.

Their frustration began to tell as first Dickson Etuhu then Jonathan Greening went into the book for niggly challenges before half-time.

The second half began as the first ended, with little action of note; then on the hour-mark Agbonlahor brought Villa Park to its feet.

Collecting a pass inside from James Milner, the England forward ran at Fulham with Hughes backing off as far as the penalty area - and the Villa man obliged by thundering a shot past a helpless Schwarzer.

Young was caught accidentally by Greening and needed treatment before returning to the action, while Steven Sidwell was yellow carded for a late tackle on Dempsey.

And that was practically it; except for a touching tribute to former Villa defender Martin Laursen, recently retired through injury and sitting behind the glass of a television studio in view of the supporters.