KEVIN Davies revealed how he ran himself almost to a standstill in an effort to get Wanderers into the Carling Cup Final.

The Reebok striker did not get his name on the scoresheet in the crushing 5-2 Reebok victory, missing the target with one first-half effort and failing to take advantage of an opportunity late on when Villa were stretched and might have conceded a sixth.

But he was singled out by David O'Leary as the man who did most damage to the Villa defence and had every reason to be pleased with his personal contribution.

"I'm happy," he said."I'd have been even happier had I scored at the end, but there was nothing left in the tank.

"I'm delighted with the result, though, and not scoring isn't a worry. What matters is getting through to the final."

Praising Davies' performance, O'Leary said: "He bullied us from the very start; he knocked my mob around all night."

Davies described the tribute as "a great confidence boost".

He added: "Dion Dublin came to me at the end and said I'd played really well and that gave me a great lift because when I came off I was absolutely knackered.

"Thankfully we can have a bit of a rest before we go down there to try to finish them off."