Aston Villa 0
Wigan 2
Valencia 52,63
Aston Villa 0 Wigan 2 May 03 2008
Wigan winger Antonio Valencia assured Premier League football for the Latics next season after his brace sank Aston Villa 2-0 at Villa Park.
Villa had been in fine form heading into the game, having scored 17 goals in their last four matches, but they were undone by Valencia's heroics.
Gabriel Agbonlahor's header was tipped on to the bar just before the break.
But Valencia grabbed an opener on 52 which took a huge deflection off Wilfred Bouma and looped over Scott Carson into the net. His second was a clinical finish with the outside of his right boot on 63.
Valencia was denied a hat-trick by Carson's fine low save, but the victory moved Steve Bruce's on to the magical 40-point mark - and was not exactly the Villa Park swansong Olof Mellberg, who is leaving for Juventus in the summer after five years in the Midlands, had planned.