Greatest Aston Villa vs Birmingham Matches : 10 Best Second City Derbies Ever
3. Aston Villa 5-1 Birmingham City [2008]
Both clubs were at contrasting positions during the 2007/08 season. Villa were flying high under Martin O’Neill, meanwhile Birmingham, under Alex McLeish, were in serious danger of being relegated to the Championship.
On display at Villa Park was an almighty humbling, as the home side wiped the floor with their rivals to inflict further damage to their top-flight ambitions.
Ashley Young and John Carew braces put Villa 4-0 in front, and despite Forsell’s consolation goal, Gabriel Agbonlahor had the final say with a late fifth. This result would go some way to relegating Birmingham, as they would finish in 19th and drop into the second tier.
2. Aston Villa 6-0 Birmingham City [1988]
The first meeting of Blues and Villa in the League Cup, in 1963 final, was high-profile. The Blues had defeated their fiercest rivals 3-1 on aggregate. Thanks to the triumph over Villa Birmingham City clinched their first-ever domestic title in 1963.
Twenty-five years after Blues lifted their first silverware by beating their neighbours right at the business end of the tournament, the teams were paired at the less glamorous end of it – in the second round.
And in 1988, Villa took emphatic revenge as they came up against rivals not only a division below them but near the bottom of that division and struggling desperately. Aston Villa rolled over Birmingham City (6-0), with the team setting the biggest winning margin in the Second City derby.
1. Birmingham City 3-1 Aston Villa [1963]
It was the League Cup final between the local rivals Aston Villa and Birmingham City. Aston Villa had won the inaugural competition in 1960–61, and had beaten Birmingham 4–0 in their most recent League meeting, while Birmingham were seeking to win their first major trophy.
The first leg took place on 23 May 1963 at Birmingham’s home ground, St Andrew’s. Birmingham took the lead when Harris fed Auld who crossed for Ken Leek’s powerful shot, but Aston Villa equalised via Bobby Thomson. Seven minutes into the second half, the same combination of players made it 2–1, and after 66 minutes Jimmy Bloomfield met a Harris cross to score off the post to give Birmingham a 3–1 lead.
The second leg four days later at Villa Park was goalless. With former England centre half Trevor Smith marking Thomson out of the game[2] and Birmingham’s defensive tactics including regularly kicking the ball out for throw-ins, Aston Villa were unable to break their opponents down.