ASTON VILLA MANAGER Tim Sherwood says that Jack Grealish was pivotal in his side’s League Cup victory over Birmingham City.

Villa triumphed 1-0 over their city rivals thanks to a Rudy Gestede goal, but Sherwood was keen to highlight the impact Grealish had after his introduction at half-time.

“We came here on a hiding to nothing. I was proud of how we went about it – we tried to get between the lines and they couldn’t cope with Jack Grealish,” Sherwood told BBC.

“We always want to play fast, flowing football but we can’t always do that.

“We’ve shown we’re a flexible team. I want players who I can look in the eye and get what I expect. Tonight is a huge boost. I thought we could have won a lot more comfortably.”

Birmingham boss Gary Rowett also lavished praise on the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international, conceding the 20-year-old’s decisive influence.

Rowett said: “Jack Grealish changed the game when he came on.

“And we were undone by a moment of quality from Rudy Gestede. That is very difficult to defend against.”

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