Aston Villa's championship pursuit is dead and the inquest has started. John Gregory did not spare the team, whose performance was "the worst I've seen in all my life, as a player and a manager". Nor did he spare himself in a summation that was part accusatory, part confessional.
Villa's manager could have kept the finger pointed outwards rather than at himself after such a spiritless and artless display. A relegation-threatened Coventry won with conviction and panache; Villa made them look like the Spanish sky-blues of Celta Vigo.
According to Gregory, Villa will now be lucky to perform in that European competition next season, let alone the Champions League. "Frankly we are in deep shit. If the three teams at the top mess up I'll be very surprised."
One point has been gleaned from the last 15. "It's come together at once: loss of form, loss of key players. As a manager you have to be ready for that. It's something I've not done very well."
Villa's captain, Gareth Southgate, and Riccardo Scimeca were exposed by the combination of Darren Huckerby's power and John Aloisi's alertness. Up front, Julian Joachim ran hard without reward, since his partner Dion Dublin represented only nuisance value against his old club given his groin trouble.
The willing Dublin at least brought Villa back into the game, albeit briefly, with his first goal of 1999, a fiercely struck penalty after a dubious award against Richard Shaw.
Aloisi's two goals, a superbly placed shot and a volley, demonstrated his scoring desire and George Boateng's brace proved Coventry's enterprise in releasing midfielders at every opportunity.
ASTON VILLA: Oakes, Wright, Southgate, Watson (Barry 44), Scimeca, Taylor (Draper 29), Merson, Grayson, Hendrie, Dublin, Joachim (Collymore 55). Subs Not Used: Samuel, Bosnich. Booked: Grayson, Hendrie, Southgate, Dublin. Goals: Dublin 55 pen.
COVENTRY CITY: Hedman, Nilsson, Burrows, Williams, Shaw, McAllister, Froggatt, Boateng, Telfer, Huckerby (McSheffrey 90), Aloisi. Subs Not Used: Konjic, Soltvedt, Edworthy, Kirkland. Booked: Williams. Goals: Aloisi 25, Boateng 51, Aloisi 73, Boateng 84.
Referee: U Rennie (Sheffield).
