U23s: Middlesbrough 4-1 Aston Villa

Aston Villa suffered a defeat against Middlesbrough in the Under-23 Premier League on Friday afternoon.

The hosts got off to a flying start, with Calum Kavanagh bagging a brace inside eight minutes.

Joe Gibson got in on the act to make it 3-0 at half-time before he netted his second shortly after the interval.

Dewain Sewell scored with ten minutes remaining to give a young Villa side a consolation goal.

Middlesbrough started the day in fifth, occupying the final play-off position, with Villa four points behind in eighth.

And the match was just three minutes old when the home side dealt the Young Lions’ play-off hopes a blow, with Kavanagh netting the opener.

The young Republic of Ireland striker doubled his tally five minutes later, beating Villa stopper Akos Onodi once again.

Despite enjoying their fair share of possession, a Villa side missing the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Louie Barry and Carney Chukwuemeka, struggled for fluency in the final third.

And they fell further behind after 33 minutes when midfielder Gibson fired home.

Taylor Jay-Hart was introduced at the break but he could do little to prevent the flow of Middlesbrough attacks, with Gibson adding his second seven minutes after the restart.

Fellow Villa substitute Sewell, who was making his first appearance of the season for the Under-23s, pulled one back shortly after his arrival.

The loss leaves Villa’s faint hopes of qualifying for the play-offs dependent on results elsewhere.