Aston Villa underlined their top four aspirations with a clinical victory over Sunderland that lifts them above Arsenal and into third in the league.
Emile Heskey opened the scoring with a low drive and James Milner sealed an impressive win with a superb 25-yarder.
Stewart Downing and Ashley Young also hit the woodwork, but Sunderland were not overawed in a competitive game.
Andy Reid twice went close for them but Lorik Cana's late red card for a second booking summed up a frustrating night.
The defeat continues a frustrating run of form for an inconsistent Sunderland outfit, whose wins over Liverpool and Arsenal represent their only victories from their last nine league games.
But for Villa, victory pushes them to within five points of the Premier League summit and provides further weight to the argument that they, more than any side, have the potential to break the monopoly of the big four.
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