Steve Bruce hit out at his Aston Villa players after a 3-1 defeat at Norwich City yesterday ended any hopes they had of making the top two.

After Wolves' dramatic win against Cardiff on Friday night, Villa knew a win at Carrow Road could lift them to within four points off the Welsh side, who they then play on Tuesday.

However, Bruce's men were comfortably beaten by the Canaries and the manner of the performance left the manager livid.

"When it matters, we have not done enough. We always knew there would be strange results but sometimes you have to do the basics," he told the Express & Star.

The ex-Hull boss was particularly annoyed his side continued their poor form at such a critical part of the season.

"Over the last month we have only taken four points from five games. That is not promotion form. It is not even play-off form. There is the disappointment. We have not performed when we really needed to."

Villa are now seven points behind second-placed Cardiff and eight ahead Millwall who are seventh.

The Verdict

Everyone connected with Villa will be hugely frustrated with yesterday's performance. The Wolves win gave them a genuine chance of automatic promotion and they failed to capitalise.

It also continues an alarming run of form that Bruce will want to change before the play-offs as they need to be heading into those games in a much better situation.

So, even though the game against Cardiff on Tuesday won't have the same significance, it's important Villa get back to their best as soon as possible.

Thoughts, Villa fans? Let us know in the comments below.