One match, two different Villa teams. Or so it seems, such was the contrast between first and second half performances from Villa at the Hawthorns -- Paul Lambert's players showed glimpses of the team they could be during the opening 45 minutes, only to regress into the side they actually are in the second.

A point away at West Brom. Hardly a poor result, given Villa's circumstances and state of mind coming into the game. But just like their previous Premier League away trip, a 2-2 draw at Swansea with the hosts levelling in the final seconds, it could have been so much better. And Villa cannot afford to surrender two points from positions of 2-0 up.

- Match report: West Brom 2-2 Aston Villa

There is support for the theory that if Lambert can depend upon the fitness and form of his senior group of players, Villa can avoid relegation this season. There is certainly quality among Ron Vlaar, Charles N'Zogbia, Gabby Agbonlahor, Darren Bent and Richard Dunne. If Lambert can ever get all of them on the pitch at the same time -- something he has been unable to do all season -- Villa will be all the stronger for it. Against West Brom, at least, three were on the field from the start and it showed.

Vlaar's presence in defence was reassuring, all the more so with Nathan Baker's early injury pressing Lambert into a reshuffle, bringing Eric Lichaj on at right back and moving Matt Lowton inside to centre-back to preserve the 3-5-2 formation. It was N'Zogbia and Agbonlahor, however, who had the greatest influence in the first half.

There was concern, from a Villa point of view, that Ashley Westwood and Fabian Delph would be overwhelmed by Albion's midfield trio of Claudio Yacob, James Morrison and Chris Brunt: two against three. But what actually happened was that N'Zogbia, playing in a free role between midfield and attack, acted as Villa's third man and West Brom were pushed on to the back foot.

Once Christian Benteke, with a fantastic strike, his first league goal in a month, had put Villa ahead, N'Zogbia assumed control. The winger, looking more like the player Villa paid Wigan 10 million pounds for, created a second, for Agbonlahor. The duo, switching from right to left, caused trouble throughout the first half for the Baggies. Jonas Olsson, subject of a bid from QPR recently, genuinely looked as if his mind was elsewhere. And when N'Zogbia left Liam Ridgewell trailing in his wake just before halftime, Villa almost had a third. Ben Foster pulled off a brilliant save to deny Lichaj.

That third would have been crucial, putting the game out of West Brom's reach. Instead, the balance changed within minutes of the re-start when Brunt made it 1-2. There is such fragility about Villa these days that it felt from that moment that the result would slip away.

West Brom had renewed belief, and they also had the benefit of a substitution which improved them markedly. Yacob had been withdrawn, injured, towards the end of the first half and his replacement, Jerome Thomas, really took the game to Villa. A winger with pace, Thomas gave Lichaj a torrid time in the second half. It also meant, with him alongside Romelu Lukaku and Peter Odemwingie, the Baggies had three forward players on the pitch to trouble Villa's three central defenders.

Another enforced change hampered Villa. Delph, who had been excellent in midfield, was taken off injured, and the substitute, Barry Bannan, was unable to gain any influence over the game. When N'Zogbia was later substituted -- again, a suggestion of injury -- Villa lost their main attacking outlet and the momentum was all West Brom's. Odenwingie's equaliser was as inevitable as it was disappointing.

The point takes Villa out of the bottom three -- the team had dropped to 19th before kick-off -- but the stakes have definitely been raised. Reading's mini-resurgence has upped the pressure, and if QPR have the finance and pulling power to land players of the class of Loic Remy, the Londoners could yet strengthen further by the end of the month. Villa need to up their game, and not just for 45 minutes next time.

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