Paul Lambert thrilled with Sunderland victory

Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has hailed his team's victory over Sunderland as their "best performance of the season".

Gabriel Agbonlahor scored the only goal of the game to see the Villans record just their second win of the season.

"I thought the lads were absolutely fantastic," said Lambert. "I think they deserve a lot of credit after the knocks they've taken. I am delighted for them.

"We were down to the bare bones and there were some massive performances in there.

"As a whole I thought that was our best performance. To come to a place like this and win the game I thought it was deserved. We were full of energy. We just have to keep going. That was a massive win for us."

Villa are perched one place above the Premier League drop zone.