Aston Villa made it six successive Championship wins as goals from Scott Hogan, Albert Adomah and Jack Grealish condemned struggling Burton to another defeat.
But the home side did not have it all their own way at Villa Park as Burton scored twice and fought until the bitter end.
Villa manager Steve Bruce named an unchanged team for the third match in a row as his side looked to keep up the pressure on the Championship's top two.
By contrast bottom club Burton were looking to put an end to a miserable four-match losing streak.