Jay-Jay Okocha gave the Bolton supporters a farewell performance to remember before departing for the African Nations Cup.

The Nigerian playmaker is expected to be away for a month and any side in the land would miss someone of his ability and class.

Okocha scored twice - his second was outstanding - as Bolton gained the advantage from this Carling Cup semi-final first leg.

It was an enthralling match with Bolton 3-0 ahead after just 17 minutes before Villa staged a marvellous recovery.

Okocha's decision to delay his departure was a major boost for the team going into this game.

Manager Sam Allardyce made one change to the side which defeated Portsmouth, with Stelios Giannakopoulos replacing Javi Moreno.

Villa welcomed back midfielder Gavin McCann and striker Darius Vassell after knee and hamstring injuries respectively.

Okocha opened the scoring after two minutes when his 20-yard free-kick wrong-footed goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen after Kevin Nolan had been nudged off the ball.

Youri Djorkaeff then tested Sorensen before Nolan added a second goal for the home side in the ninth minute, carving a path through the Villa defence before rifling a shot beyond Sorensen.

Bolton kept up the pressure and Giannakopoulos added a third goal with a superb overhead kick after Kevin Davies had flicked the ball on.

Villa, however, pulled a goal back in the 20th minute when Juan Pablo Angel showed good close control on the right before floating an ambitious right-footed effort over Jussi Jaaskelainen and into the far corner of the net.

Angel's sixth goal of the competition sparked Villa into life and they began to find their rhythm.

Jaaskelainen had to look lively twice in quick succession to parry efforts from Lee Hendrie and Gareth Barry.

It was rousing stuff from both sides and Davies got into a good position only to lob the ball over the top.

Then Okocha found space on the edge of the area but was marginally off target with his chip.

The Nigerian was beginning to become an influential figure and he saw a free-kick go narrowly wide a minute before the break.

However Jaaskelainen had to be alert in stoppage time to block a shot from McCann.

Villa got quickly into their stride in the second half and Angel found space on the right.

The Colombian striker tried to pick out Vassell but it was a poor delivery and Jaaskelainen was able to gather safely.

Villa skipper Olof Mellberg was left dazed after bravely getting in the way of an Okocha thunderbolt.

Then Djorkaeff floated in a free-kick from the left which appeared to be drifting in before Sorensen reacted at the last minute.

Mellberg, in obvious discomfort, was eventually replaced by Ronny Johnsen in the 54th minute.

Villa reduced the deficit to one goal in the 56th minute when Bolton failed to clear their lines following a good move involving Hendrie and Whittingham.

Vassell's close range shot struck Angel on the left leg and beat Sorensen - although the home fans were fuming as the Colombian was in an offside position.

Bolton were looking rattled and Angel almost levelled the scores with a clever free-kick which tested Jaaskelainen in the 62nd minute.

Emerson Thome got on the end of a Djorkaeff free-kick only to head over the top, before fellow central defender Bruno N'Gotty made it 4-2 in the 74th minute with a towering header from Djorkaeff's corner.

Mark Delaney got a touch on the line - but could not prevent the ball finding the net.

Vassell, who had been struggling with injury, was replaced in the 78th minute by Marcus Allback - and two minutes later Okocha got his second goal of the night with a superb free-kick from the left.

The Nigerian bent the ball with the outside of his boot - yet it still carried enough power to beat a stunned Sorensen.

Okocha will miss the second leg as he is taking care of business with his country in Tunisia.

But Bolton should have done enough to clinch a place in the final against either Middlesbrough or Arsenal.

Teams

Bolton Jaaskelainen, Hunt, N'Gotty, Thome, Barness (Charlton 63), Campo, Giannakopoulos (Pedersen 69), Djorkaeff (Ba 84), Okocha, Nolan, Davies.

Subs Not Used: Poole, Javi Moreno.

Goals: Okocha 2, Nolan 9, Giannakopoulos 17, N'Gotty 74, Okocha 80.

Aston Villa Sorensen, Delaney, Mellberg (Johnsen 54), Dublin, Samuel, Hendrie, McCann, Whittingham, Barry (Hitzlsperger 57), Angel, Vassell (Allback 77).

Subs Not Used: Postma, De la Cruz.

Booked: McCann, Vassell, Hendrie, Dublin.

Goals: Angel 20, 56.

Att: 16,302

Ref: P Durkin (Dorset).