Harvey Knibbs scored the only goal as Aston Villa recorded their second Premier League 2 Division 2 win in a row, beating Sunderland to move up to third in the table.
The 19-year-old forward struck on 35 minutes, converting the rebound after Corey Blackett-Taylor's right-wing shot had been blocked.
Villa are level on 15 points with second-placed Manchester United, one point adrift of leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers. Sunderland lie 12th with four points.
