Aston Villa finally registered their first win of the season after a closely fought game at Villa Park.

Darius Vassell scored the only goal of the game - and Villa's first of the season - courtesy of a teasing Lee Hendrie free-kick.

But the goal was the only bright spot in a disappointing match.

Visitors Manchester City never really threatened the Villa goal, despite the presence of talismanic playmakers Eyal Berkovic and Ali Benarbia.

The opening half was generally a woeful affair with both sides lacking creativity and guilty of misplaced passes.

City created the first decent opportunity after 14 minutes when Sylvain Distin threaded a pass into the path of Nicolas Anelka.

The French striker managed to make room for a shot despite the presence of Steve Staunton but screwed his low effort across the face of the Villa goal.

Vassell then broke towards the City goal in a two-on-two attack but he failed to find strike partner Juan Pablo Angel, making his first appearance of the season.

Five minutes before half-time Anelka was unlucky when his glancing header from a Shaun Wright-Phillips cross hit the crossbar, but he was adjudged to have strayed offside.

Villa striker Peter Crouch squandered the best chance of the half two minutes before the interval.

Lee Hendrie and Angel stepped over the ball to leave Crouch with only Peter Schmeichel to beat but his low shot was not cleanly hit and the former Villa keeper saved easily.