Daijiworld Media Network – London
London, Apr 20: Aston Villa reignited their push for UEFA Champions League qualification with a dominant 4-1 victory over high-flying Newcastle United at Villa Park on Saturday. Just days after their midweek Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain, Villa bounced back in style, silencing any concerns of a European hangover.
Ollie Watkins gave Villa the dream starts, finding the net just 30 seconds into the game. Although Newcastle equalised in the 18th minute through Fabian Schar’s well-placed header, Villa wrestled back control in the second half. Ian Maatsen rifled home their second in the 64th minute after a clever assist from Watkins. An own goal by Dan Burn in the 73rd minute extended Villa's lead, before Amadou Onana sealed the win two minutes later.
Newcastle, coming off emphatic wins over Manchester United and Crystal Palace, were outclassed as Villa clawed back into the top-four race.
Meanwhile, Manchester City climbed to fourth in the table with a late 2-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park. The champions looked uninspired for most of the match but found their spark in the final six minutes, as Nico O'Reilly and Mateo Kovacic both scored to secure three points. Everton’s misery deepened with the injury of stalwart defender James Tarkowski, ending his impressive streak of 111 consecutive appearances.
Brentford celebrated their first home win since December with a 4-2 triumph over Brighton. Bryan Mbeumo struck twice, while Yoane Wissa and Christian Norgaard also scored for the hosts.
Brighton's hopes faded further after Joao Pedro saw red in the 61st minute. Danny Welbeck and Kaoru Mitoma scored the consolation goals for the visitors.
At Selhurst Park, Crystal Palace held on for a 0-0 draw with Bournemouth despite being reduced to 10 men in the second half after Chris Richards was sent off.
West Ham’s struggles continued as they were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw at home by Southampton. Jarrod Bowen’s first-half strike looked to be the winner until Lesley Ugochukwu equalised with a stunning volley in stoppage time.
The Premier League title race now turns to Sunday, where Liverpool could seal the crown with a win against Leicester City if Ipswich Town manage to beat second-placed Arsenal.