Steven Gerrard makes Dean Smith observation after Aston Villa thrash Southampton

Steven Gerrard claims Aston Villa were 'too passive' before he arrived at the club, as he praised his players for their application and attitude after beating Southampton 4-0 at Villa Park on Saturday.

The win against Southampton followed a 2-0 victory over Brighton last weekend, which had put an end to poor run of form for Gerrard's side, having won just once in seven league games before then.

Villa have now forgotten about their slow start to the calendar year after securing back-to-back wins for the first time since Gerrard succeeded Dean Smith as head coach in November, when he got off to the perfect start as a Premier League manager by beating both Brighton and Crystal Palace in his first two games in charge.

Subsequent defeats to Brentford, Newcastle United and Watford had questioned the mentality of Villa's squad in their quest to finish in the Premier League's top 10 come May, but with just goal difference now separating them and the top half, Gerrard will be relieved his team are back on track.

Despite beating Southampton by the clubs biggest winning margin since the 7-2 win over Liverpool 17 months ago, the Villa boss claims he is still searching for a perfect performance as he was frustrated his side didn't protect and use the ball as effectively as he would have liked in the second half.

But Gerrard admits he has been delighted with the attitude his players have shown over the last few weeks and months, especially in their reaction to a recent dip in form.

"We’ve won two games and kept two clean sheets and that’s off the back of a bad run of form," Gerrard said.

"I want to remain as balanced as I can, there’s still a lot of work to do in a lot of areas, but obviously sitting here right now off the back of