Aston Villa boss hails Bent

Bent scored the only goal of the game and his first for Villa, since joining the club in a big-money move this week.

Houllier said: “The finish was that of a natural-born finisher, something you cannot teach somebody. That is what he is here for, to score goals.

“Roberto Mancini told me before the game that I’d signed a great player and that is a tremendous start for him.”

Houllier continued: “I thought the boy handled the pressure very well.

“He had settled in well during the week, knows a lot of players from the international scene, and I felt he was ready to play.”