London - Gabriel Agbonlahor headed an 84th-minute winner as Aston Villa beat Birmingham City 1-0 in the second-city derby. The day's other game, Damien Duff hit a spectacular winner as Fulham came from behind to beat Everton 2-1.
Agbonlahor's was the first goal Birmingham had conceded in the Premier League this season, and it came only after an unexpected late Villa surge.
"I am delighted and relieved," Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill told AVTV.
"During the course of the game I thought we were in reasonable control without really exerting a great deal of pressure."
Villa have nine points from four games, and the suggestion is that they have recovered from a shock defeat to Wigan on the opening day.
A typically rambunctious first half ended goalless. Birmingham had the better of what little play there was, but the two best chances fell to Villa.
James Milner just failed to get on the end of a left-wing cross from Ashley Young, and then Roger Johnson did superbly to block a goal-bound Agbonlahor header.
Birmingham were forced to replace forward James McFadden at half time after he damaged a thigh tackling Young.
John Carew came on with 20 minutes to go as Villa switched to a 4-4-2, and almost immediately Steve Sidwell was gifted with a headed chance that he directed straight at goalkeeper Joe Hart.
"I was hoping with the introduction of John it would give us a bit more power up there," O'Neill went on.
"That's exactly what he did."
The winner arrived with six minutes remaining. Milner's free-kick was headed back across goal by Carew, and Agbonlahor nodded down and past Hart.
Everton took the lead at Fulham, Tim Cahill heading in a Leighton Baines free-kick from a marginally offside position after 33 minutes.
But the home side were much improved after half-time, and levelled on 57 minutes as Paul Konchesky's free-kick was deflected by Sylvain Distin past TimHoward.
Things got worse for Everton as their captain, Phil Neville, was stretchered off after suffering a gashed knee in a collision with Dickson Etuhu.
Duff cut in from the right, capitalising on space created by Andrew Johnson's decoy run, and lashed the winner with 13 minutes remaining.
Marouane Fellaini was then denied by a fine save from debutant keeper David Stockdale, Danny Murphy clearing Joseph Yobo's follow-up off the line, but Fulham held on for their second win of the season.
