Aston Villa 4 Newcastle 1 - Matt Maher analysis
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Good evening from what is a very happy Villa Park. Villa recording their fifth Premier League win in a row,
00:07battering Newcastle United 4-1 and really delivering a statement during the final run-in
00:15and confirming what we've suspected for the last few weeks really.
00:19Is there a stronger squad in the Premier League at the moment than Villa? I don't think so.
00:24Oli Watkins, who had only started one of the previous six games, made the most of his opportunities today.
00:31He played angry, as Uno Emery once told him to stay angry.
00:36Watkins later confirmed that he was very angry at missing both games at Paris Saint-Germain.
00:40But he got the ball rolling for Villa inside the opening minute, chased down Sandro Tonali,
00:45forced him into a poor clearance, was there to pick up the pass from Eurid Selemans.
00:48And yeah, he got lucky with the deflection of Fabian Schaar that beats Nick Pope.
00:54But a really significant goal for Watkins as it saw him equal Gabriel of Bonhoeffer's record
00:59and become Villa's joint all-time top scorer in the Premier League.
01:03And he was simply unplayable from that point on.
01:07Lucky with obviously the deflection for the goal, but then unlucky when he hit the bar, hit the post,
01:12had another chance saved. Villa were all over Newcastle.
01:16But then Fabian Schaar pops up at the back post from nowhere.
01:20Newcastle draw level. Villa not scoring the goals that they should.
01:23And you wonder whether it would cost them.
01:25But in the second half, they just, well, they just bulldozed their way to victory.
01:30Ian Martzen set up by Watkins to put them back in front.
01:34And then an inspired double change from Uno Emery.
01:37Jacob Ramsey and Amadou Inanna.
01:39Ramsey with his first touch delivers a cross that Dan Byrne puts through his own net.
01:43And then two minutes later, Inanna sends one into the top corner from outside the box.
01:48And those changes really just summed up just how strong this Villa squad is.
01:54Newcastle have won six games in a row coming into this, but they're then the same team in every game.
01:59And Villa just too strong for them, just too energetic.
02:03Yeah, it was just, it was a powerhouse performance.
02:05And they're now with a great chance of getting back into the Champions League.
02:11I was a huge disappointment going out of that competition.
02:13But the aim now is to get back.
02:15And it looks like, you know, they're well set to do that.
02:18Not back into the top five yet.
02:19But they're level on points with Nottingham Forest.
02:22And you wouldn't back bet against Villa from here on in.
02:25They go to Manchester City on Tuesday night.
02:27And they will not have gone to Manchester City for a long time with as much confidence as they will do now.