Aston Villa 3 - 1 Blackburn - FA Cup 3rd Round Player Ratings

Brad Guzan (6) - Not a performance to judge Brad on. He had so little to do. He saved a poorly struck penalty, dropped a cross in the second half which potentially gave the opposition a lifeline. Aside from that Blackburn were devoid of any creativity and cutting edge to trouble him.

Habib Beye (6) - A comfortable performance which saw him take a few more attacking risks than Luke Young normally would. Created a few openings in the first half, made some incisive tackles. Second half performance was comfortable if not slightly error prone at times. Match fitness was obviously an issue.

Carlos Cuellar (7) - A solid defensive performance capped with a well taken header. Blackburn showed no movement or creative play to drag him out of position. Solid as usual.

James Collins (7) - Collins' first start since returning from injury. He would not have wished for a better game to return to premier league pace. Looked solid in the air and tight to the man defensively.

Stephen Warnock (6) - Another solid performance and showed some guile going forward without a great deal of success. Final ball into the box could be better.

Stuart Downing (6) - Showed some nice touches on the ball and delivered a few testing crosses. Still not fully fit and confident, he has a different quality to other midfielders we have.

Nigel Reo-Coker (8) - A Man of the Match performance, Reo-Coker has the fitness and work-rate unlike any of our players. Even his distribution of the ball has improved and was a constant threat to Blackburn's Midfield.

Fabian Delph (7) - He could become our pivotal midfielder in years to come. The potential is definitely there. He has a great left foot which he used to constant effect on the first half. He showed great desire in the tackle. Unfortunately was substituted at half time for Sidwell.

Steven Sidwell (5) (sub) - Made a couple of tackles but could not use the ball as effectively as Delph. Was quite happy to play simple passes as we kept possession for lengthy amounts of the second half.

Ashley Young (8) - Potential Man of the Match performance. Without setting the game alight he constantly tormented the Full Backs without much success. Provided 2 crucial assists with quality delivery. Should have finished a 1 on 1 opportunity to kill the game in the first half only to scuff the chance. Ashley Young from 2008 would have smashed this Blackburn Defence. Worked hard for the team and regained possession countless times.

Emile Heskey (7) - Wasted a glorious 1 on 1 opportunity in the second half. Other than that played exceptionally well linking the midfield to attack and bringing a more cohesive Villa performance. The missing man from the Liverpool game as we struggled to create from midfield.

Nathan Delfouneso (7) - Composed performance showing potential. Once he becomes more of a fixture in the first team he will develop greatly. At times he tries harder than he needs to. Drops back into midfield to receive the ball which is a great attribute that is missing from our other strikers.

John Carew (Sub) (6) - Headed narrowly over the bar not long before winning the penalty that sealed the tie. Slotted his penalty away with confidence and ease. Unspectacular but functional.