Having already shunned the FA Cup, Manchester United poured scorn on its little brother last night by fielding a team of disdainful anonymity and which achieved their apparent aim of making a quick exit from this tournament.
United have used weakened sides in this cup before, but what rubbed salt into the wounds this time was that only two days previously they fielded virtually a full-strength team for Alex Ferguson's testimonial.
It really was a case of name that team. Who wear dark blue, line up 4-1-4-1 and star Luke Chadwick and Danny Higginbottom? This was United in disguise, a team with only 11 senior starts between them this season prior to last night: four for Mark Bosnich, five for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and two for John Curtis.
Only six were mentioned in the 35-strong list of United players on the back of the programme.
It was little surprise then when Villa, treating the tournament as a route to Europe by fielding a full-strength team, went ahead after 18 minutes. Julian Joachim brilliantly turned Curtis and Ronnie Wallwork on the right of the area and fired the ball into the top corner with the outside of his foot.
That pleased the home crowd, who had marked Bosnich's first return to Villa since walking out on them last summer by booing the goalkeeper's every touch.
But while Villa continued to produce the greater threat, it was Bosnich who denied them another. Just past the half-hour he marked his return by blocking Joachim's goal-bound shot with his legs, and five minutes later dived to his left to keep out Ian Taylor's header.
Although United's motley crew had barely managed to trouble Peter Enckleman in the home goal, Villa must have gone in at half-time somewhat worried that they had failed to take greater advantage.
They remedied it three minutes after the restart. Mark Delaney's long throw was headed into his area by the left-back Higginbottom, the ball was allowed to bounce by a statuesque defence and Taylor stabbed home from six yards.
Bosnich then defied the jeers with a cracking tip-over save from Lee Hendrie's 30-yard volley, and the substitute Darius Vassell hit a post. But Steve Stone added a third just before the final whistle. The defeat surely points to the shape of United's season in the not too distant future. They are now competing in one domestic competition - the Premiership - but in three international tournaments: the Champions League, the world super cup in Tokyo and the world club championship in Brazil during January.
Aston Villa: Enckelman, Ehiogu (Watson 45), Boateng, Taylor, Dublin, Thompson (Stone 75), Joachim (Vassell 57), Barry, Hendrie, Delaney, Calderwood. Subs Not Used: Merson, Oakes. Booked: Boateng, Dublin, Hendrie. Goals: Joachim 18, Taylor 49, Stone 90.
Manchester United: Bosnich, Curtis, Cruyff, Solskjaer, Clegg, Higginbottom (Healy 67), Wallwork, Greening, O'Shea, Chadwick, Twiss (Wellens 74). Subs Not Used: Notman, Culkin, Roche. Booked: Curtis.
Referee: M Riley (Leeds).
