Four fire engines turned up at Villa Park yesterday, presumably on the assumption that the £12.6 million Manchester United paid for Dwight Yorke would be burning a hole in Aston Villa's pocket. In the event Villa beat Middlesbrough with sufficient ease to avoid a panic-stricken rush into the transfer market, for at least a week anyway.

The departure of Yorke and Collymore's ankle injury emaciated Villa's attacking options to a point where Riccardo Scimeca, a central defender with reserve experience as a striker, played up front alongside little Julian Joachim. Makeshift though this was, it saw Joachim give Villa an early lead and almost complete command for an hour.

So who needs Yorke, and why squander his fee on over-priced and probably less accomplished replacements? On this prima facie evidence it is a beguiling argument.

Then again Villa are unlikely to encounter many opponents who only bring on proper strikers when they are two goals down. Middlesbrough's supine approach saw Paul Merson cast in a lone attacking role while a five-man midfield attempted to stifle Villa's movements.

But far from doing so, the space that Andy Townsend, Robbie Mustoe and the one-paced Paul Gascoigne allowed their opponents enabled Lee Hendrie, Ian Taylor and Alan Thompson to dominate. Add the freedom Gary Charles was given on the right wing and it was a wonder the afternoon ever became a contest.

That it did was due to a belated recognition by Bryan Robson, the Middlesbrough manager, of the importance of goals. Once he replaced Gascoigne and Alan Moore with Mikkel Beck and Hamilton Ricard, Villa were forced to defend in areas where previously they had merely been out for an afternoon stroll.

A goal from Beck and suddenly Villa were faced with something more than a rotten 'Boro. Thompson's late free-kick ended Middlesbrough's recovery but Robson's team had done enough to suggest a more positive approach away from Teesside might bring greater rewards.

True Middlesbrough were without Gary Pallister, Marco Branca and the newly signed Colin Cooper but surrendering the initiative to a Villa side similarly weakened by injuries and departures was merely inviting defeat. If Middlesborough are going to wear Argentina's strip on their travels they might as well try to acquire some Argentinian beef.

Gascoigne was part of the problem. Not for anything he did - his passing and willingness to tackle back were admirable - but for the things he obviously was incapable of doing. Most of these involved a lack of pace and the need to preserve a diminished stamina.

The manner in which Villa scored their first two goals, hitting swiftly and incisively on the break, rather made a nonsense of Middlesbrough's defensive outlook. Villa took the lead in the sixth minute after smart work in their own half by Gareth Barry to release Alan Wright on the left. Hendrie met Wright's cross with a sharp turn and lay-off, and Joachim's well-struck shot beat Mark Schwarzer.

After 52 minutes Villa began a move virtually from their own byline which eventually found Taylor's head glancing the ball out to Charles, who swung in past Dean Gordon before curling a left-footed shot into the far corner.

Villa should have all but put the match beyond Middlesbrough's reach before then. In the 38th minute Gianluca Festa wrestled Joachim to the ground to concede a penalty and Thompson prepared to score his first goal for Villa since arriving from Bolton for £4.5 million.

Thompson has one of the best left-foot shots in the English game but this time he went for accuracy rather than power and Schwarzer made an excellent diving save. Beck's goal, a sharp header from Merson's short cross within two minutes of coming on, sent a ripple of anxiety across Villa Park but with just under 15 minutes remaining Thompson's free-kick, struck with full force this time, took a deflection off Ricard, and that was that.

ASTON VILLA: Bosnich, Charles, Wright, Southgate, Ehiogu, Taylor, Thompson, Joachim (Vassell 81), Barry, Hendrie (Draper 83), Scimeca (Grayson 69). Subs Not Used: Ferraresi, Oakes. Booked: Wright. Goals: Joachim 6, Charles 52, Thompson 78.

MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Fleming, Gordon, Festa, Mustoe, Gascoigne (Beck 59), Merson, Moore (Ricard 59), Stamp, Townsend, Harrison. Subs Not Used: Maddison, Kinder, Beresford. Booked: Festa. Goals: Beck 62. Att: 29,559.

Referee: P Alcock (Halstead).