BIRMINGHAM, England :Aston Villa thumped top-five rivals Newcastle United 4-1 at Villa Park to keep themselves in the thick of the race for Champions League qualification on Saturday.
Five days after being knocked out of Europe’s top club competition by Paris St Germain in a thriller, Villa returned to Premier League action in emphatic fashion with Ollie Watkins opening the scoring inside the first minute.
Fabian Schar equalised for third-placed Newcastle with a header before halftime but Villa blazed clear after the break with Ian Maatsen restoring their lead before a Dan Burn own goal and substitute Amadou Onana’s superb finish sealed the points.
Victory lifted Villa three points above Chelsea into sixth place with 57 points from 33 games, level with Nottingham Forest who play on Monday. Newcastle have 59 points, one more than fourth-placed Manchester City, in what is turning into a fierce battle to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
The top five in the Premier League will all qualify.
