Aston Villa 4-2 Birmingham: Hutton runs from his own half to score wonder goal

Dean Smith might have to revise his list. Before this dramatic, comeback win against Birmingham City, the Aston Villa manager seemed set on his favourite derby game.

A David Geddis-inspired 3-0 win during the 1980-81 campaign? Forget it. This must have been an even more special day for Smith, a boyhood Villa fan. For now, England’s second-city is claret and blue.

The 47-year-old Smith must have felt a bit like that nine-year-old inspired by Geddis when he watched Alan Hutton slalom through the Birmingham defence, temporarily possessed by the combined spirits of Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, before curling a shot into the bottom corner. It could have been seen as Hutton dressed as Lahm, but this was arguably better than any goal the German served up in his playing days.

There’s no smoke without fire, and this game burned throughout.

Claret fumes poured out of a pyro and in the direction of the away end after Jack Grealish put his side ahead for the first time on Sunday.

Grealish’s stooped header had been preceded by a Jonathan Kodjia strike in response to Lukas Jutkiewicz’s opener.

Villa seemed to have the game won when Tammy Abraham fired in a penalty but endured a tense 15 minutes after Pedersen cut the lead to one.

Then the Holte End bounced, shouting the word ‘Alan’ over and over again, and this one was done.

Both sides came into this shorn of one of their best players.

John McGinn was absent for the hosts after an injury picked up on international duty, while Jota had not recovered from his own knock over the break.

But it did not stop a busy start. The game was only a minute old when Maikel Kieftenbeld crunched Grealish in central midfield. Villa’s boy king knew immediately that he was a marked man.

The harrying, pressing style of Birmingham seemed to temporarily upset Villa’s rhythm. They had chances to go ahead before Jutkiewicz struck. A corner sent across the face of goal only needed a touch, which never came.

Minutes later, James Chester slipped and presented the ball to Che Adams. He won a corner, the ball came in and the giant Jutkiewicz volleyed in at the back post.

The real shame for Garry Monk and his men is that they were comfortably on top for the next 10 minutes. Another ball into the box brought a strike from Adams, who struck well but could only hit the outside of the post.

Villa then broke. Albert Adomah swung a cross in from the right, it was accidentally nodded on by Michael Morrison, and then Kodjia fired into the bottom corner.

The visitors collapsed. Just two minutes later, Adomah centred again. This time, Grealish drifted in and Villa Park’s prince had his goal.

Whatever Monk said in the dressing room at half-time did not seem to have much of an impact.

Grealish was left free at the back post again just after the break, only to head over, while it took just three minutes after the restart for Abraham to win his penalty.

That came after a looping cross, which he took down impressively before being pulled over. When he struck into the bottom corner, the game seemed sealed for Villa.

Not quite. Against the now-Villa dominant run of play, Pedersen popped up in the box to fire into the corner. Faces in the Villa end suddenly sunk.

Then came the full-back’s moment of brilliance to lift them again. There will be a 10-year-old telling tales of Hutton for the next 30 years, just like Geddis for Smith.