Villa dominated the first half with Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young having great opportunities to open the scoring before a second-half Obafemi Martins double consigned them to defeat.

O'Neill said: "The [first] goal was a big setback to us, obviously, and the disappointment was that we were unable to conjure up something in the last 20 minutes of the game when I was hoping we would do so.

"The first half was excellent and we deserved to go in front, but we are instead left to rue the chances we would normally take.

"They were big moments in the game, hitting the post and Gabriel Agbonlahor missing a chance he'd usually score. But when they scored, it became a fatal blow, not just a setback."