James Ward-Prowse 10, Danny Ings 8; Jack Grealish 8: Aston Villa v Southampton player ratings

Premier League encounter at Villas Park ends 4-3 in favour of the visitors

ASTON VILLA PLAYER RATINGS: Emiliano Martinez – 6. Sympathy for the Villa keeper who had no chance with any of the four goals. Beyond those, didn’t have a save to make. AP

Matty Cash – 4. Picked up a yellow card for a blatant handball on the edge of the area to stop a clear goalscoring chance. Problem was, Ward-Prowse bent home the subsequent free-kick anyway. Then wasn’t tight enough to Ings for the striker’s goal. Not a good day for the full-back. AP

Ezri Konsa – 7. Based on his own performance, Konsa can feel unfortunate to be part of a team that conceded four. Handled Southampton’s attacks well. Getty Images

Tyrone Mings – 8. He may have been part of a backline that shipped four goals but Mings had a fine game. Won all his challenges, brought the ball out well and ventured forward to help his team apply some attacking pressure. Scored with a glancing header. AP

Matt Targett – 6. Managed to find some space going forward in the second half but the game was done at that point. AP Photo

Douglas Luiz – 5. Like the rest of the Villa midfield, guilty of allowing Southampton to take control of the game in the first half. Tripped Walcott to set up Ward-Prowse for his first goal. Getty Images

John McGinn – 6. Complete mismatch when marking the much taller Vestergaard for Southampton’s opener and struggled to make his mark on the game. Getty Images

Bertrand Traore – 5. A snatched first-time shot that went wide his only contribution before being replaced midway through the first half due to injury. AFP

Ross Barkley – 6. Much like the rest of the Villa side, grew into the game in the second half but nothing quite pulled off for the on-loan midfielder. Reuters

Jack Grealish – 8. Villa’s most lively player during a dismal first half but took until the hour mark for him to exert his influence. Found Mings with a smart cross before scoring twice. If only he’d turned it on 10 minutes earlier, he might have dragged his team to a point. AFP

Ollie Watkins – 6. Had a largely frustrating game but got his name on the scoresheet with a well taken penalty in injury time. AFP

SUBS: Trezeguet (29’) – 6. Had at least three great chances to score during the second half but was denied by some fine saves from McCarthy. Getty Images

Ahmed Elmohamady (67’) – 6. Little significant impact but at least Southampton didn’t score while he was on the pitch. Reuters

SOUTHAMPTON PLAYER RATINGS: Alex McCarthy – 8. After spending the first half as a passenger, was called into action on numerous occasions after the break, producing a string of fine saves to deny Villa the chance of getting something from the game. AFP

Kyle Walker-Peters – 7. A committed display from the full-back. Drew the foul for the free-kick that led to his team’s opener. Had to be alert as Grealish got livelier. EPA

Jan Bednarek – 6. Look assured during the first half, although his afternoon was cut short when he picked up an injury. Replaced at the interval. Getty Images

Jannik Vestergaard – 8. Superb header to open the scoring and would probably be just as pleased with his goal saving block on Trezeguet in the second half. AFP

Ryan Bertrand – 7. Never looked troubled down his flank and provided a frequent outlet in attack. A solid display. AFP

Stuart Armstrong – 7. Should have scored but put his shot just wide of the post. Quickly atoned by seting up Ings minutes later. Alongside Ward-Prowse and Romeu helped Saints dominate the midfield for an hour. Getty Images

James Ward-Prowse – 10. Another game where he enhanced his reputation as one of the best dead ball specialists in the league. Swung in a pinpoint wide free kick to find Vestergaard for the opening goal, before curling home a sumptuous set piece on the edge of the area. Made it a brace of set piece goals just before halftime with another sublime finish. A very satisfying birthday for the Southampton captain. EPA

Oriol Romeu – 7. Typically unfussy performance from the Spaniard. His central partnership with Ward-Prowse is quietly becoming one of the most effective in the Premier League. Reuters

Theo Walcott – 6. Drew the foul for Ward Prowse’s first free kick goal with a darting run on the ball but his influence ended there. AFP

Danny Ings – 8. Scored an absolute worldie to make it 4-0, curling the ball into the top corner from outside the area. Southampton will be sweating on his fitness, though, after he picked up a knee injury late in the game. AFP

Che Adams – 6. Looked to have fortuitously opened the scoring only to find himself marginally offside. The game didn’t pass him by as such but he was hardly central to the action. AFP

SUBS: Jack Stephens (45’) – 6. Handled the increased Villa pressure well until the late flurry of goals. Getty Images

Ibrahima Diallo (79’) – 5. Only contribution was to give away a penalty after a clumsy foul on Grealish. Reuters

Shane Long (85’) – N/A Getty Images

Aston Villa were punished for a poor first half performance as Southampton ran out 4-3 winners at Villa Park on Sunday.

Southampton captain, and birthday boy, James Ward-Prowse was the star of the day, setting up Jannick Vestergaard's opener before claiming a pair of sumptuous free-kicks. Danny Ings then made it 4-0 with a long-range wondergoal just before the hour mark.

With less than 30 minutes remaining, Villa attempted to mount a fightback. Tyrone Mings headed home in the 62nd-minute and Ollie Watkins converted a penalty in injury time to halve the deficit. Jack Grealish then scored Villa's third but the hosts ran out of time in their pursuit of an equaliser.

Reflecting on the goalfest at Villa Park, Jon Turner has provided his player ratings in the photo gallery above. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows, or if using a mobile device, simply swipe.