Aston Villa Run Away From Europa League Threat

BIRMINGHAM, SUNDAY - Just three days after the mishap of playing the wrong song in the Europa League and the failure in the Champions League, Aston Villa silenced top-five contenders Newcastle United. The Villa squad seemed to be running away from the "second-class" tournament anthem.

A unique incident occurred in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals at Villa Park Stadium, in the middle of last week. The Europa League song suddenly appeared during the pre-match ceremony. According to BBC Sport, the problem occurred due to a malfunction in the automatic song playback system.

The Villa players, Ezri Konsa and Youri Tielemans, could hardly contain their laughter. The incident may have been amusing to them, but only for a moment. After being eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain, the mood shifted to a real threat. Meanwhile, in the English Premier League, they are currently on the radar of the Europa League zone.

It is not a coincidence that on Sunday (20/4/2025) early morning WIB, Villa erupted at the same stadium. They defeated Newcastle with a contrasting score of 4-1. In fact, Newcastle, currently in third place, arrived as the hottest team with a record of five consecutive victories.

"This is Villa Park," said Villa's wing-back Ian Maatsen, who turned the advantage to 2-1. "We brought the disappointment (against PSG) into this match. We want to secure a spot (in the Champions League), so we fought for it. They were on a good run, but we ended that," he continued.

Villa even took the lead just 33 seconds into the match thanks to striker Ollie Watkins. Although Newcastle managed to equalize through defender Fabian Schar, the home team remained more dominant throughout the match. Villa's efforts paid off in the second half, as three goals were scored within a span of 11 minutes.

Today, against Newcastle, is the highest level of opponent we can face.

Thanks to this result, Villa climbed to sixth place (57 points). The points of the team coached by Unai Emery are the same as those of fifth-placed Nottingham Forest, which has not played this week. The gap between them is also narrow with third-placed Newcastle (59) and fourth-placed Manchester City (58).

Villa has also successfully continued a positive trend with five consecutive victories. They have taken the title of the hottest team in the league from Newcastle. Maintaining this positive momentum is crucial as Watkins and his teammates will face City next Wednesday.

According to Emery, the decisive victory over Newcastle demonstrates the team's readiness to fight fiercely in the remaining season. "Today, against Newcastle, is the highest level of opponent we could face. I am very pleased with the players' response. We are in our best moment," he said.

Emery added that his team has begun to find consistency thanks to the availability of players. Players who were injured in the middle of the season, such as midfielder Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana, are now available again. There were no players absent when hosting Newcastle.

The decline in Newcastle's performance is quite surprising. They have won decisively twice in the past week, against Manchester United (4-1) and Crystal Palace (5-0). However, Alexander Isak and his teammates suddenly lost their footing in one of the most important matches of the remaining season.

The main factor behind the away team's defeat was the ineffective strategic approach. They attempted to apply pressure intensely from the opponent's half of the field, engaging Villa in physical duels. This strategy was also employed when facing MU, and it was highly successful.

However, the plan failed completely due to the resistance of the Villa players who performed with higher intensity. The hosts relied on pressure-resistant players with physical advantages, such as Kamara and Morgan Rogers, to break through the visitors' trap.

The high defensive pressure from Newcastle often proves futile. Villa easily created opportunities after crossing the midfield line. Newcastle, which aimed to exploit the opponent's mistakes for counterattacks, was left powerless. Villa's dominance was evident in the shooting advantage of 23-9.

Newcastle's assistant coach Jason Tindall stated that the decline in quality is also due to player fatigue. They have had to play three times within the last six days. "It is difficult to rotate the team in a situation like this. If I substitute players and the result remains a loss, that decision will certainly be questioned," he said.

Head coach Eddie Howe has not been able to accompany Newcastle. He is suffering from pneumonia and has been hospitalized since last week. His role has been taken over by his assistant. According to Tindall, Howe only communicates with him when he is feeling better.

For Newcastle, the recent defeat should serve as a motivation to quickly recover. They are facing a challenging schedule in the remaining five matches, including encounters with Arsenal and Chelsea. "We want to qualify for the Champions League. Today is a step backward. This is a reflection of reality for us," said Newcastle captain Kieran Trippier. (AP/REUTERS)