Aston Villa have one foot in the ­Carling Cup final after comfortably beating Blackburn Rovers in the semi-final first leg. Notoriously poor travellers this season, Sam Allardyce’s team appear short of form and confidence, and the only ­matter of regret for Villa is that they might have won by more than the solitary James Milner goal that decided the game and made next week’s second leg a mere ­formality. Villa could have been two or three up by half-time, yet ended up ­clinging on to their slender advantage as Blackburn belatedly showed some spirit.

The bad news for Blackburn is that ­Monday’s limp display at Manchester City was not an aberration or a case of saving their energy for the Carling Cup. That is apparently the best they can currently muster, and they repeated the ­performance here in a competition Sam Allardyce has described at their only chance of glory. To judge by a half-empty stadium, the Blackburn supporters no more believed that than their players.

Blackburn began aggressively enough, with David Dunn almost opening the scoring after four minutes with a shot on the turn from the edge of the penalty area, though gradually they were pushed back by the accuracy of Villa’s passing and the visitors began to create the greater number of opportunities. Ashley Young sent an optimistic volley miles over the bar before Stilian Petrov broke up a Blackburn attack and picked out Emile Heskey with a ­cunningly disguised pass. The England striker was all on his own and had more time than he probably realised but he was unable to turn quickly enough and the chance was gone.

Gabriel Agbonlahor shot weakly at Paul Robinson midway through the half before Villa opened up Blackburn with a classic counterattack. In truth, the home side left themselves wide open, sending too many men forward for a free-kick and having no one at home when Villa carried the ball strongly upfield from their own area. James Milner ran half the length of the pitch without anyone even attempting to confront him, laying the ball off to the supporting Stewart Downing at the last moment then gliding into the Blackburn area to apply the faintest of touches to divert the return pass past Robinson.

Having to chase the game was the last thing Blackburn wanted or needed, because it left more space for Villa’s quick players to exploit. Milner continued to make surging runs through midfield, Ashley Young’s pace was a constant threat on the flank and at one point Agbonlahor simply hit the ball past Chris Samba and challenged him to a foot race he knew he was bound to win. Samba’s regard for Agbonlahor did not go any higher five minutes from the interval, when the Villa striker was booked for diving over the defender’s outstretched leg. Villa should have done better from the attack in every sense, since quick work by Ashley Young in dispossessing Brett Emerton on halfway had left them with an advantage in pace and number.

Abused by their Villa counterparts throughout for the paucity of their support, Blackburn spectators themselves were expressing disappointment by ­half-time, imploring Allardyce to “sort it out”. The Rovers manager has his work cut out. Just about the only way Rovers could put Villa under pressure was from Morten Gamst Pedersen’s long throws. After Dunn’s early near-miss the home side barely bothered Brad Guzan again, whereas Robinson made two sharp saves right at the end of the first half, from Petrov and Heskey, and referee Mark ­Clattenburg appeared to miss a handball in the area by Samba.

Villa opened with second half with a shot from Milner that Robinson saved comfortably, and should have gone ­further ahead on their next attack when Ashley Young easily skipped round the substitute ­left-back Martin Olsson and put the ball across the face of an empty goal with no one sufficiently advanced to tap it in.

At least Blackburn stirred themselves to try and hit back after that. Niko Kalinic struck an upright when he was surprisingly allowed a free header from ­Pedersen’s cross, and Dunn fired a shot wide through a crowded area. The home side’s best chance of all came midway through the second half when Pascal Chimbonda crossed from the right and Kalinic struck a fierce shot, only to see it rebound from the same upright. It was not turning out to be Blackburn’s night, or their Croatian striker’s, though they were not as bad in the second half as they were in the first and there were just a few positives from the second period to take to Villa Park.

Carling CupBlackburn RoversAston VillaPaul Wilsonguardian.co.uk