Martin O'Neill hailed his Aston Villa players after their 4-0 victory over Wigan Athletic at the JJB Stadium.
John Carew's introduction for Gareth Barry, who hurt his ankle, in the 53rd minute breathed new life into Villa as an attacking force.
His header was bundled into the net by Gabriel Agbonlahor in the 57th minute and then Agbonlahor returned the favour by providing a cross for Carew to head home in the 62nd minute.
Substitute Steve Sidwell curled in a delightful fourth in the last minute to cap a fine win after Barry's 22nd-minute penalty put O'Neill's men in control.
"The game came quickly upon us, but we played brilliantly. We had lots of everything and ended up worthy winners, which I'm delighted with.
"We hadn't scored in two league games, but we've put that to right in terms of the performance," said O'Neill. "We've got another big game on Wednesday."
terrific performances
O'Neill continued: "It was a great performance and a result I had not expected.
"With us having played on Thursday night, it was a concern, but there were some terrific performances all told."
Aston Villa have the chance to build on their impressive performance when they take on Blackburn Rovers in the Barclays Premier League on Wednesday evening.
