ASTON VILLA manager David O'Leary was always confident of capitalising on Saints' tattered nerves - even at 2-0 down.

O'Leary played down talk of an inspired substitution in bringing Nolberto Solano on for Martin Laursen.

Instead, he said: "I'd love to say it was inspired but it wasn't.

"It's a lovely pitch, we are not a bad football team and a surface like this was ideal for us.

"At 2-0 down I felt if we could get the next goal we would make them nervous.

"It was important it came from us.

"We were always threatening; we were going to be vulnerable, but I felt we could score goals."

Given the absence of centre halves Olof Mellberg (injured) and Liam Ridgewell (suspended), O'Leary knew his makeshift back four would struggle to cope with Peter Crouch's 6ft 7in frame.

"We are struggling with numbers at the back," said the Villa boss. "We knew were going to be vulnerable there. Crouch is a good player.

"It was two gifted goals, two stupid goals. We had four full-backs there and we were on a beautiful pitch against a good football team."

Seeing his back four suffering, O'Leary replaced Danish international Laursen, who was returning from a knee injury, with Solano at half-time.

And with Carlton Cole on for the jinxed England international Darius Vassell, who was stretched off on 33 minutes with a recurrence of an ankle injury, the pair began to torment Saints' defence.

"Laursen was absolutely not good," O'Leary said.

"I had to take him off as he wasn't doing himself justice. He was good to say he wanted to get out there but he was doing himself or me no good."