Danny Ings marked his Burnley send-off in style by inspiring the already-relegated Clarets to a 1-0 win at Aston Villa on the final day of the Premier League.

Ings, who will leave the club this summer, opened the scoring after seven minutes with what proved the winning goal at Villa Park this afternoon.

The Villans had enough chances to salvage something but Tim Sherwood's side ran into goalkeeper Tom Heaton in inspired form.

Here, Sports Mole analyses how the game was won in the West Midlands.

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Match statistics

ASTON VILLA
Shots: 16
On target: 5
Possession: 64%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 9

BURNLEY
Shots: 6
On target: 3
Possession: 36%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 6

Was the result fair?

By virtue of the way in which Burnley doggedly defended their one-goal lead, it would be harsh to say that they did not deserve the three points. The statistics illustrate that Villa dominated the encounter, which they did for large spells, but they ran out of ideas after roughly an hour and it was relatively comfortable for the visitors from then. Overall, the hosts did not do enough to finish their Premier League campaign with a victory.

Aston Villa's performance

The visit of Burnley represented a chance for Aston Villa to restore some much-needed morale in their last game before meeting Arsenal in the FA Cup final next week. Having lost 6-1 to Southampton last week, redemption was the theme of the day for Sherwood's side as they looked to ride the crest of a wave into Wembley. But their afternoon got off to a dreadful start when Ings headed the visitors ahead after just seven minutes, with Leandro Bacuna partially to blame.

Within minutes of falling behind, "we're going to Wembley" echoed around Villa Park; a sign that the fans - and perhaps the players - had bigger things on their mind. Nevertheless, Villa eventually grew into the contest, with in-form striker Christian Benteke gradually becoming more dangerous after going close on a couple of occasions, while Ashley Westwood forced Heaton into a fine save late in the half.

They retained that momentum throughout the 15-minute interval and began asking more questions, but Heaton was again on hand to repel anything that came his way with a few more excellent stops. Sherwood will be concerned by the way in which his troops appeared to run out of ideas from the hour mark onward, against a back four that will be playing in the Championship next term.

It was not good enough from the Villans overall, and with the Gunners thumping West Bromwich Albion 4-1 today, netting four first-half goals, the Villa boss will be less excited about next week's showpiece at Wembley than he was before the defeats to Southampton and Burnley.

Burnley's performance

Avoiding the wooden spoon was the only token of incentive for already-relegated Burnley this afternoon, and Sean Dyche's side, who were 19th at kickoff, made inroads toward steering clear of last place with a fine start. Ings, who pulled on the Clarets' shirt for the last time today, marked his departure with a fine header after Ashley Barnes - who later went off injured - nodded the ball back into the area.

Minutes later, Ings spurned a glorious chance to double the advantage in what proved the visitors' last goalscoring chance for a while. It was at the other end in which they were heavily tested, with Heaton justifying his England call-up with a couple of excellent saves as the half-time whistle saved Burnley due to Villa's dominance.

It was much of the same for the visitors after the break as Heaton was called upon again to preserve his side's advantage, but it was the four players in front of him that helped earn his clean sheet. Centre-back Michael Keane justified his selection ahead of Michael Duff, while the aptly-named Jason Shackell restricted Benteke and Gabriel Agbonlahor for the final half an hour or so.

George Boyd could have put the result beyond doubt after missing a one-on-one midway through the second half, but a 1-0 victory throws up a fitting end for Ings, who was the hero one last time. They will miss him in the Championship next season.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Tom Heaton: After having his good form rewarded by Roy Hodgson with a maiden England call-up this week, Heaton justified the Three Lions boss with another excellent performance between the sticks.

In the first half, he did brilliantly to deny Benteke and Westwood, before making a host of fine saves in the second period to keep out Agbonlahor and Charles N'Zogbia. He was the standout candidate today.

Biggest gaffe

Ron Vlaar could, and definitely should, have provided an instant riposte from Ings's opener but he thrashed a half-volley over the bar from a fine position. It ultimately proved one of Villa's better chances in the 90 minutes and it cost them.

Referee performance

The arduous nine-month season can be as demanding for a referee as it is for a player; especially mentally, given the way in which officials bear the brunt of players and managers' frustrations on a weekly basis from August to May.

Consequently, referee Mike Jones will be delighted that his season finished on a quiet note this afternoon, after booking three players in total - Fredrik Ulvestad, Vlaar and Scott Arfield - and having no contentious decisions to make. He, along with his colleagues, will enjoy the three-month break.

What next?

Aston Villa: Sherwood and co now prepare for next weekend's trip to Wembley to face Arsenal in the FA Cup final.