Aston Villa made hard work of defeating a Middlesbrough side who played for more than an hour with 10 men, but Dion Dublin's 200th career goal was enough for the three points.

In-form Dublin's second goal in three days after 11 minutes was just reward for some hard work and positive football from Villa.

Key moments

11 mins: Dublin puts Villa in front 26 mins: Wilson sent off

Boro's uphill battle was made even more difficult when they had Mark Wilson sent off inside half an hour after he collected his second yellow card.

Their defeat leaves them frustratingly marooned in mid-table obscurity after a real up-and-down season.

Meanwhile, Villa's victory sees them move away from the relegation zone, but their inability to score more after dominating play will not fill them with confidence.

Juan Pablo Angel's side-netting miss after only two minutes was just the first of many spurned chances.

The home fans booed the every touch of former Villa favourites Gareth Southgate and Ugo Ehiogu.

The players were aware of the position the club is in, they knew how important it was to get a result Villa manager Graham Taylor

Southgate had the chance to silence his critics early on, but he badly misjudged his header from a Frank Queudrue corner.

Dublin gave Villa the lead when he got on the end of Angel's astute cross following good approach work down the right from Barry for his eighth of the season.

Wilson (right) earns a red card after bringing Samuel down

Referee Rob Styles booked Wilson for a challenge on Gareth Barry after 15 minutes and a red card was inevitable after the midfielder brought down Jlloyd Samuel on 26 minutes.

Villa, playing intelligently with a one-man advantage, carved out a succession of openings but their season-long trouble of failing to convert their chances almost came back to haunt them.

The game was spoilt after the sending off. The players gave everything and tried as much as they could but it was an uphill battle after that Boro boss Steve McClaren

Angel had a shot coolly cleared off the line by Luke Wilkshire after 50 minutes.

Mark Kinsella and Barry could not make the most of the chances that came their way in the second half, so ensuring a nervous final few minutes for the Villa supporters.

But Boro were just as wasteful in front of goal, failing to score away from home for the sixth Premiership away game in succession.

Aston Villa: Postma, Edwards, Mellberg, Johnsen (Wright 45), Samuel, Hadji (De la Cruz 4), Hitzlsperger, Kinsella, Barry, Angel, Dublin, De la Cruz (Allback 81).
Subs Not Used: Moore, Henderson.

Booked: De la Cruz, Samuel, Barry.

Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Parnaby (Maccarone 88), Southgate, Ehiogu, Queudrue, Geremi, Wilkshire (Vidmar 56), Wilson, Greening, Nemeth (Whelan 56), Job.
Subs Not Used: Windass, Crossley.

Sent Off: Wilson (27).
Booked: Wilson, Whelan.

Attendance: 33,637

Referee: R Styles (Hampshire).