To round off amiserableafternoon for the Paris side, in the closing minutes Liebenberg's pass was intercepted on the half-way line, and Brew and Higgitt ran to the tryline together to ensure the ball ended up touched down in the corner for a try.
Martin O'Neill's Villa had thrashed Bolton 5-1 in their previous fixture but lacked any of the cutting edge they showed against Gary Megson's side on amiserable Lancashire afternoon.
The Spaniard's miserableafternoon took a further downward turn when he inexplicably came off his line to meet Brunt, who fed Thomas for West Brom's third.
It was miserableafternoon for the Reds - midfielder George McMullan was given a straight red-card on 51 minutes after making contact with Knight as he lay on the ground.