Villa fielded a strong team with first teamers Wayne Routledge, Shaun Maloney and Marlon Harewood as well as experienced goalkeeper Stuart Taylor all in their starting line up.
Liverpool brought in Lucas Levia for the injured Jay Spearing but otherwise Gary Ablett selected his reserve team regulars. The only suprise in the Reds' starting line up was the absence of David Martin in goal.
The experienced Villa started the game the brighter of the two sides but once Liverpool settled into the game they began carving out chances. Krisztian Nemeth almost played in Lucas with a clever backheel but the defender was alive to the danger and cleared.
Nabil El-Zhar and Ryan Flynn were both excellent on the wings and it was the former who carved out the opener. El Zhar received the ball on the half-way line, ran through the Villa defence and played the ball to Jordy Brouwer. The Dutchman played it to his right to Nemeth who opened his body up brilliantly to stroke the ball past Taylor for 1-0.
After the goal the Reds created a few half chances with Flynn putting some dangerous crosses into the box and El Zhar trying his luck from distance but the clear cut chances were at the other end.
Harewood received the ball 25 yards out and with the defence backing off he tried his luck but his shot went over Peter Gulacsi's crossbar. Villa had an even better chance minutes later when Ronald Huth's scuffed clearance went to Harewood. He passed to Maloney who passed it on to Chris Herd but the Aussie hit the post. Gulacsi then flapped at a corner and the ball fell to Maloney who stabbed it goalwards only for Mikel San Jose to clear the ball off the line.
Villa also started the second half brightly with Moustapha Salifou hitting the bar and Stephen Darby having to head off the line. However, Liverpool reserves have only conceded eight league goals this season and again their defence stoof up to the test. Darby, San Jose, Huth and Emiliano Insua were up against an experienced Villa attack but none of them gave an inch and with Damien Plessis doing his usual job breaking up attacks in front of the back four, their performances gave the rest of the team the confidence to go on and win the game.
With Villa pressing for an equaliser, Liverpool hit them on the break. Villa dealt with the danger the first time but Insua quickly won the ball back deep in their half, passed to Nemeth whose through ball found Brouwer one on one with the goalkeeper. Brouwer has been in good goalscoring form this past month and made no mistake in front of the Kop. 2-0 and game over.
The Reds put further gloss on their win when subsitute Daniel Pacheco played a similar ball to Nemeth's through for Lucas who wrapped the game up. There was one final chance when sub Craig Lindfield played a magnificent cross in towards Pacheco but the Spaniard put it over the bar. No matter. 3-0 was more than enough to win the game and see Stephen Darby again lift a trophy. Hopefully there will be many more to come.