IN TESTING times for the top flight, this extraordinary match provided proof that even a debased competition can provide rich and unpredictable entertainment. No one left Causeway Stadium last night complaining about a lack of value for money as Aston Villa got out of jail and then robbed Wycombe Wanderers blind.

There were seven goals in the second half. Sadly for the Coca-Cola League Two team, previously unbeaten this season, they all went to a Barclays Premiership side who proved adept at kicking their opponents when they were down yet were under the cosh for much of the match. Still, looking capable of running up a cricket score is a shrewd public relations move in the present climate.

Afterwards both managers said that they were committed to attractive football on principle. John Gorman, the Wycombe manager, was proud of his team for continuing their open style of play, even though they were 3-1 up.

“What do you do? Do you say to them, ‘Go all out defence?’ ” Gorman said. “If we were a rubbish side we’d probably have won the game by kicking the ball into the stands, but we play football. We wanted to keep playing the same way we did in the first half, but we couldn’t maintain it. People will say we were murdered, but they got the breaks.”

In the second half Villa, who recorded their biggest win in 43 years, benefited from a deflected goal, an own goal and a dubious penalty en route to the rout. Wycombe had grabbed the lead after six minutes, when Danny Senda’s fine cross from the right was headed in by the excellent Nathan Tyson. Villa were instantly roused and eight minutes later Steven Davis steered in the equaliser.

Wycombe regained the lead inside five minutes thanks to Roger Johnson’s looping header at the far post from Stefan Oakes’s corner as, displaying a beguiling mix of pace, energy and inventiveness, they dominated possession. Six minutes before the break, Oakes whipped in a cross and Tommy Mooney stooped to head the third. That goal prompted a walkout by a few Villa fans, either for the exit or some comfort food.

“There are genuine fans and there is a fickle mob, you’ve just got to let it go right over your head,” David O’Leary, the Villa manager, said.

Pre-match talk centred on the previous meeting between the clubs, a 5-0 victory at Causeway Stadium in this competition two years ago that featured a hat-trick for Juan Pablo Ángel. The performance and scoreline at half-time, though, evoked memories of Wycombe’s run to the FA Cup semi-finals in 2000-01.

Milan Baros pulled one goal back with a simple finish from a cross by Aaron Hughes after 48 minutes, then a deflected effort from James Milner drew the teams level.

Bad luck handed the visiting team the lead with 20 minutes left; Clint Easton stuck out a boot to intercept a cross from the left by Patrik Berger but deflected it beyond his goalkeeper. Two minutes later, Senda looked to have made a clean tackle on Baros but the referee, Richard Beeby, gave a penalty that Gareth Barry converted.

So the match was reminiscent of that tie in September 2003 after all: Villa scored five again. They went one better when Barry added a sixth, Villa’s fourth inside 15 minutes, although there was still time for Sergio Torres, on for the injured Tyson, to hit a post and Milner and Davis to add two more goals in the final minutes against a demoralised defence. It made for a humiliating scoreline that neither team deserved.

WYCOMBE WANDERERS (4-4-2): F Talia — D Senda, M Williamson, R Johnson, C Easton — J Dixon, S Oakes, J Burnell (sub: I Anya, 84min), M Bloomfield — T Mooney (sub: I Stonebridge, 79), N Tyson (sub: S Torres, 54). Substitutes not used: S Williams, R Martin. Booked: Burnell.

ASTON VILLA (4-4-2): T Sorensen — A Hughes (sub: U De La Cruz, 83), L Ridgewell, G Cahill, J Samuel — J Milner, S Davis, G Barry, P Berger (sub: L Hendrie, 78) — J P Ángel (sub: L Moore, 68), M Baros. Substitutes not used: O Mellberg, S Taylor. Booked: Samuel.

Referee: R Beeby.

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