ASTON Villa boss Martin O’Neill was frustrated to come away without a point after conceded such a later goal.

He said: “We got off to a great start. I thought that even at 1-1 at half time we’d go on and win the game.

“Perhaps we didn’t create as many chances in the second half as I thought we’d have done.

“We were hoping to get something. Up until today, we were perfect away from home. We were looking to continue in the same vein, but games here aren’t easy.

“We are away from home and we have to deal with balls put in to the penalty area.

“For most part, I thought we dealt with it and I thought we should have got something from the game.

O’Neill said the sending off of Vince Grella strengthened Rovers’ resolve.

He said: “I don’t know whether it affected us in the sense that we tried to get a bit of extra width into the side to try and break through.

"But with 15 minutes left in the game, I don’t think the sending off made an appreciable difference to us, but it might have galvanised Blackburn Rovers.”