Gareth Barry ensured Aston Villa avoided another knockout humiliation by scoring a fortunate 61st-minute winner to see off Coca-Cola Championship battlers Hull at the KC Stadium.

Just over one month ago, Villa slid to an abject Carling Cup quarter-final defeat at League One Doncaster which appeared to leave manager David O'Leary's future in doubt.

But this time out Barry capped a much more purposeful Villa display with his long-range chance which caught defender Leon Cort and looped over goalkeeper Boaz Myhill to snatch the visitors' crucial goal.

The circumstances were particularly harsh on Cort, who five minutes earlier looked set to head the home side into the lead only for an alert Lee Hendrie to block his powerful effort on the goalline.

Substitute Stuart Elliott also came close to grabbing a late equaliser. But Villa were good value for their win, with striker James Milner on outstanding form throughout.

O'Leary must have been dreading the long trip north in the wake of that 3-0 defeat in South Yorkshire which left his highly-paid stars open to much ridicule.

But the spanking new KC Stadium certainly held more appeal to Villa than run-down Belle Vue, and it was immediately apparent that the big-money visitors were up for the task of reaching round four.

After soaking up an energetic start from Hull in which Barry cleared a Craig Fagan chance and Jason Price blazed high over the bar, the visitors settled into a spell of dominance.

Hendrie blasted over from long range, and Gavin McCann burst into the Hull box only to be denied a shooting chance by a fine challenge from Damien Delaney.

In the 12th minute, the excellent Milner came closer when Juan Pablo Angel played a neat pass in the box and the former Newcastle man struck a low shot which squeezed just wide of Myhill's left-hand post.

Villa thought they had grabbed the lead after 15 minutes when Hendrie skipped over a Milner cross and Angel poked home - but referee Chris Foy had - erroneously - blown for offside.

Myhill had to be alert in the 22nd minute to parry Hendrie's difficult bouncing effort from the edge of the box - and moments later he tipped a long-range piledriver from Steven Davis over the bar.

Villa were by now in total control and came close again in the 26th minute when Milner cut inside Kevin Ellison on the right and let fly with a 25-yard effort which beat Myhill but was just too high.

But all the visitors' good work threatened to come undone deep into first-half injury-time when the home side served warning that they were still in with a chance of heaping more knockout woe on their opponents.

Fagan poked the ball goalwards in a crowded box only to see Villa goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen - who had been a virtual spectator up to that point - get down well to turn the ball out for a corner.

Peter Taylor's hosts needed to capitalise on their fine finish to the half but were almost denied that chance when Luke Moore waded dangerously into the City box before his shot was blocked by Cort.

Finally Hull began to make more significant in-roads in the 55th minute when Delaney's deep cross ran through to Price - but his rising shot was caught by Sorensen.

Just one minute later Hull came even closer when Cort rose highest to meet Keith Andrews' corner in the box only to see his goalbound header denied in last-ditch fashion by the alert Hendrie.

A goal now seemed inevitable at either end, and it was Villa who grabbed it in fortunate fashion when Barry's speculative effort took its wicked deflection off Cort and sailed past a helpless Myhill.

But Taylor's men, struggling for form in their league campaign, refused to give in and hit back with a fine effort from substitute Elliott which flashed just wide after Ryan France's excellent cross.

Milner continued to look dangerous for Villa in the final 10 minutes as the home side searched with increasing desperation for an equaliser which never really looked like coming.

Teams:

Hull Myhill, France, Cort, Collins, Dawson (Lynch 28), Price, Andrews, Delaney, Ellison (Elliott 45), Paynter (Green 69), Fagan.

Subs Not Used: Duke, Welsh.

Aston Villa Sorensen, Delaney, Mellberg, Hughes, Barry, Milner, McCann, Davis, Hendrie, Angel, Moore.

Subs Not Used: Samuel, Taylor, Whittingham, Ridgewell, Gardner.

Booked: Barry, Milner.

Goals: Barry 61.

Att: 17,051

Ref: C Foy (Merseyside).