Avoiding defeat at Villa Park frequently passes as a reasonable result for Martin O’Neill’s team as it tends to be accompanied by a formidable record on the road. In keeping with their impressive season to date, Aston Villa will need to extend their impressive away form next Thursday, on the plastic pitch of the Luzhniki Stadium, if they are to reach the last 16 of the Uefa Cup. John Carew’s equalising goal means that Villa will travel far from downhearted, although they do have the small distraction of facing Chelsea at Villa Park on Saturday before they embark for Russia.

Villa, with the best away record in the Barclays Premier League, have lost only once on their five European trips this season but CSKA Moscow, fresh from their winter break, are classy opponents and the outcome of the tie hangs in the balance.

“Obviously the second leg will be difficult,” O’Neill, the Villa manager, said. “They’ve got the away goal and we’ll have to score if we are to progress, but it’s not impossible.

They’re a very good side, having won their qualifying group at a canter, and they have already qualified for next season’s Champions League, so they’re a very fine side. You talk about us having pace on the counter-attack, but they have plenty.

“I accept that our away form has been good, but whether we can continue that in Moscow may depend on the make-up of the team. In the FA Cup we went as strongly as we could; this Uefa Cup tie is the last 32, it’s not like we’re at the quarter-final stage, and there are a lot of games to play, so we’ll see. Not that I want Villa fans who have been paying out to go out and support us claiming their money back just yet.”

This was Zico’s first game in charge of CSKA and he could barely have envisaged a better start as Vágner Love, the manager’s compatriot who was watched by David Moyes, the Everton manager, gave his team the lead with a wonderfully chiselled goal in the fourteenth minute.

But the Brazilian legend, a veteran of three World Cups, acknowledges that both teams can expect to improve. “Nothing is resolved yet as Aston Villa play well outside of their own stadium,” Zico said. “But by the next game we will have better condition and more understanding between our players. Of course we are confident. A man without confidence is not a man. You must always think of the positive outcome.”

CSKA finished second in the Russian League season that ended in early December and won all their group games in the Uefa Cup. Vágner Love is their star player, notwithstanding his blue hair rinse, and he demonstrated his blue-chip quality when he claimed his ninth goal of this competition after starting a move in his own half.

All deftness of touch and speed of movement, the diminutive striker played a one-two with Alan Dzagoev to penetrate the Villa penalty area and roll home a left-foot shot beyond Brad Guzan.

If there were inevitably question marks over the Russians’ fitness, they were certainly going to be fresh. In contrast, this was Villa’s 41st game of the season. Defeated by Everton in the FA Cup on Sunday, O’Neill’s players were intent not only on giving themselves a decent chance to progress in Europe, but also on rediscovering their momentum, with Chelsea their next opponents in the Premier League.

Guus Hiddink, the London club’s new manager, and Roman Abramovich, their Russian owner, were looking on for any signs of fatigue.

Carew headed over when Ashley Young whipped over a centre with great venom and after the interval, Craig Gardner thudded a fine header against the crossbar. With Young firing over centres at will, an equaliser appeared to be on the cards.

Just when it appeared that CSKA had weathered the storm, Carew did indeed score. Agbonlahor ran the ball across the edge of the penalty area to Barry, who played it out wide to Ashley Young. His left-foot centre skirted across the face of goal but Gardner, enjoying one of his best performances in a Villa shirt, was sufficiently composed to pull the ball back for Carew to fire in his ninth goal of the season.

Aston Villa (4-4-2): B Guzan — L Young, Z Knight, C Davies, N Shorey — C Gardner, S Petrov, G Barry, A Young — G Agbonlahor, J Carew. Substitutes not used: B Friedel, M Harewood, N Delfouneso, M Salifou, M Albrighton, B Bannan, S Lowry. Booked: Petrov, L Young.

CSKA Moscow (4-2-3-1): I Akinfeev — A Berezutsky, V Berezutsky, S Ignashevich, G Shchennikov — E Rahimic, E Aldonin (sub: P Mamaev, 90min) — M Krasic, A Dzagoev (sub: D Carvalho, 80), Y Zhirkov (sub: E Caner, 90) — Vágner Love. Substitutes not used: Y Pomazan, Ramon, R J Da Silva, C Odiah.

Referee: P Rasmussen (Denmark).