Swansea City stopped Aston Villa's recent revival in its tracks this afternoon as Bafetimbi Gomis scored late to earn them a 1-0 victory in the Midlands.
The French striker spurned several chances earlier in the game, but got on the end of Jefferson Montero's cross to bag Swansea an 87th-minute winner.
The result leaves Villa only three points above the relegation zone and takes the Welsh outfit onto 43 points, four short of their record total in the Premier League.
Below, Sports Mole rates and slates the players who were on show at Villa Park.
VILLA
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Goal
Brad Guzan: Made a couple of good blocks to deny Gomis, but was indebted to teammate Clark when he spilled a routine catch in the first half and presented Routledge with an open goal. (7/10)
Defence
Leandro Bacuna: Could not match his rampaging performance against Sunderland, although he did offer plenty going forward in the second half. However, he left space in behind for Montero to exploit for Swansea's goal. (6/10)
Jores Okore: Has been a steady deputy for Ron Vlaar this season, but the Dutchman's experience could be vital in Villa's survival fight and he should return at Okore's expense when fit. (6/10)
Ciaran Clark: Showed great awareness to get himself into a position to thwart Routledge on the line and made a couple more crucial blocks. (7/10)
Alan Hutton: Asked to play on the left side to allow Bacuna to raid up the right, Hutton did a decent job of supporting his attack on his return from suspension. (7/10)
Midfield
Charles N'Zogbia: Contributed to a few bright first-half counter-attacks, but his final ball was lacking and he faded before his 68th-minute substitution. (6/10)
Tom Cleverley: Has been hyped as a key player by his manager in recent weeks, but was forced off with a knock midway through the first half. (6/10)
Fabian Delph: Probably the best player on the park, Delph celebrated his return to the England squad with a complete midfield performance which included good passing, ball carrying, tackling and work rate. (8/10)
Scott Sinclair: Was perhaps guilty of being a bit selfish in front of goal as he sought a winner against his former club, whose fans were booing his every touch. Got in promising positions, though. (6/10)
Attack
Christian Benteke: Did not have a clear sight of goal during the whole game and struggled to shake off what appeared to be an aggravation of his hip injury which saw him hooked late on. (5/10)
Gabriel Agbonlahor: Could not add to his double against Sunderland, but looks more confident in a central role. Was not supplied with many chances of his own, but set Sinclair up with a great run and cross. (7/10)
Substitutes
Carlos Sanchez: Seems to be above Westwood in the midfield pecking order as he came on to replace the crocked Cleverley in the first half. Provided energy if nothing else. (6/10)
Ashley Westwood: Is having to get used to not being a regular in the team under Sherwood and did his best to impress with some tidy passing after his introduction. (6/10)
Andreas Weimann: Like Westwood, has fallen out of favour a little but did not have a great deal of time to try to change that this afternoon. (6/10)
SWANSEA
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Goal
Lukasz Fabianski: Was not called upon all that often, but made good blocks at his near post to deny Delph and Sinclair. (7/10)
Defence
Kyle Naughton: Solid defensively, but needs to do more to offer his side some width down the right if Monk persists with the current personnel. (6/10)
Ashley Westwood: The Swans captain enjoys the hustle of a physical battle and may have been expecting that against Benteke, but Villa did not hit the Belgian early as much as they could have. (6/10)
Federico Fernandez: Returning to the team after missing the 1-0 defeat to Liverpool for personal reasons, the Argentine made a couple of important interventions, including a perfectly-timed tackle on Benteke in the box. (7/10)
Neil Taylor: Did well to combat the double threat of Bacuna and N'Zogbia in the first half, and was not shy about getting to the byline either. Had a trickier job on after the break, but did not let his side down. (7/10)
Midfield
Jack Cork: The deeper of Swansea's midfielders, Cork kept things ticking over nicely with some simple passing. (6/10)
Ki Sung-yueng: Played Gomis in with a lovely through-ball in the first half and perhaps could have got into advanced areas more often. When he does, he can be a goal threat. (7/10)
Wayne Routledge: Popped up on both flanks to try to make things happen for the Swans and produced a sublime pass with the outside of his foot to send Montero through in the build-up to the goal. (7/10)
Jonjo Shelvey: Is at his best when he is involved in the thick of the action, but found himself largely on the periphery today and could have been substituted for Dyer a little earlier. (6/10)
Gylfi Sigurdsson: Found the target with a couple of free kicks, but both were too central. Was one of his quieter displays during a season in which he has so often been Swansea's creative force. (6/10)
Attack
Bafetimbi Gomis: Persistence paid off for the Frenchman as he scored the winner with his fourth chance of the afternoon. Did some good work outside of the box, but previously looked short of confidence when finishing. Swansea will be hoping that his goal changes that. (7/10)
Substitutes
Jefferson Montero: Changed the game as he gave Swansea a direct and fast outlet down the left. Got in behind Bacuna several times and his first-time cross supplied Gomis for the goal. Should start the next game. (8/10)
Nathan Dyer: Has not been included in many of Monk's recent matchday squads. Made a brief cameo off the bench, but not long enough to make an impression. (6/10)
Nelson Oliveira: Was used to wind down the clock in stoppage time as a substitute for Gomis. (6/10)
Joe Fish
