Newcastle United have done the double over Aston Villa, with Eddie Howe once again beating Unai Emery.
The 3-1 win at Villa Park is an emphatic victory for the Magpies, and further proof that talk of Eddie Howe being under pressure is absolute nonsense.
It was a tactical masterclass from Howe, who has now beaten Unai Emery twice this season. First it was the 5-1 triumph at St James’ Park, and now the Magpies have won away from home.
They are both incredible results, but the rest of the season has not been so routine for Newcastle. They have been going through a difficult period, and were actually as low as 10th in the Premier League before Tuesday night’s game.
Now they are up to seventh, and Villa boss Unai Emery has predicted where he thinks the Magpies will finish this season.
Unai Emery full of praise for Newcastle United
After Villa’s 3-1 loss to Newcastle, Unai Emery spoke to his club’s official website. After praising Newcastle, he took time to predict where they will finish this season.
“Always when you are losing it’s a little bit frustrating for the players and supporters, but we have to try to get the perspective we have now with everything we were doing,” he said.
“We have to accept this loss today because Newcastle played very well and they’re a team with good players, with good coaches and they were very successful last year.
“This year they’ve had some problems but they’ve shown that they are going to push for a top seven position.
“We have to accept it and push to try to keep our position and performances like we did.”
Newcastle can kick on after beating Aston Villa
A top seven finish has to be considered a minimum for Newcastle. That would at least get us back into Europe, even if it would not necessarily be the Champions League.
Qualifying for Europe’s elite competition looks unlikely now, but the chance to play in the Europa League should still appeal to Newcastle. And they are certainly capable of achieving that.
The complexion of Newcastle’s season suddenly looks very different. We have had plenty of issues, but we are now in the fifth round of the FA Cup and looking up in the Premier League.
These past few days can act as a springboard for the Magpies, and Emery’s prediction of a top seven finish will hopefully prove to be correct.
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