New signing Danny Ings was on target as Aston Villa finished pre-season with victory against Salernitana at Villa Park.
After the Serie A newcomers took the lead through Joel Obi, Ings pulled the hosts back on terms with a smart finish before Anwar El Ghazi’s penalty ensured a half-time lead.
In the second half, Ashley Young finished off a flowing team move to put the game out of reach as the home side finished pre-season on a high.
During a bright start for the hosts, Jaden Philogene-Bidace fired a shot on goal and Ings followed suit as Villa monopolised possession.
But they were hit with a sucker punch after 20 minutes when a Salernitana free-kick was nodded into the path of Obi, who made no mistake with a close-range header.
Villa got back onto the front foot immediately, but they came close to conceding a second when Nadir Zortea raced clean through as the visitors counter attacked.
The defender, under pressure from Ezri Konsa, hit his shot at Emiliano Martinez, with the rebound sliding just wide.
That miss proved costly as Ings levelled the scores shortly after, tucking home Philogene-Bidace’s cutback from inside the box.
A shove on Ollie Watkins handed El Ghazi the chance to complete the comeback before half-time, and he duly stepped up to send the goalkeeper the wrong way.
The pace of the game slowed in the second half, with plenty of substitutes handed the chance to impress from Villa’s bench.
And it was one of the replacements who made the game safe after 71 minutes, with Young applying the finishing touches after superb interchange from Matty Cash and Jacob Ramsey.
Young turned provider minutes later, pulling the ball back for Conor Hourihane, who saw his close-range effort saved superbly.
Bertrand Traore carved out a couple more chances for the home side, but they head into their Premier League opener against Watford next weekend with a win under their belts.
Aston Villa: Martinez (Steer 45'), Cash, Konsa (Hause 61'), Mings, Targett, McGinn (Hourihane 61'), Nakamba (J.Ramsey 61'), Philogene-Bidace (Traore 61'), El Ghazi, Watkins (Chukwuemeka 48'), Ings (Young 61').
Unused subs: Sinisalo, Tuanzebe.