Aston Villa go eighth by pushing Newcastle towards relegation

London (dpa) – Aston Villa got back to their winning ways on Saturday with a 2-0 home victory over struggling Newcastle United.

First-half goals from Ollie Watkins and Bertrand Traore were enough for three points to lift them to eighth place in the Premier League with 29 points after a coronavirus-enforced break.

Villa have two games in hand because an outbreak of coronavirus at their training facilities forced manager Dean Smith and many first team players to isolate from January 6 and miss two fixtures.

Newcastle meanwhile have not picked up a win in seven league games since December 12 and have slipped to 16th place on 19 points, seven clear of the relegation zone.

Photo – Newcastle’s Callum Wilson (R) in action against Aston Villa’s Marvelous Nakamba (L) during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Newcastle United in Birmingham, Britain, 23 January 2021. EPA-EFE/Mike Egerton / POOL