Fabricio Coloccini bundled home a first-half opener for Newcastle at a soaking St James’s Park in Saturday’s final Premier League encounter.
Advertisement
Villa grew into the game after finding themselves under the cosh for most of the first half and enjoyed the better of the second as the Magpies went to pieces in front of a crowd of 48,234.
Garde remains determined to enact a miraculous survival despite occupying a position no Premier League team has escaped from, of six points from 16 games, beginning at Newcastle today.
“We play football next August and we hopefully do it with an organisation that is prepared to compete and to succeed and to come right back up”.
Whilst they didn’t score directly from the corner, with the Geordies edging it out to the edge of the area, Jordan Ayew made sure it wasn’t of concern as he beat Daryl Janmaat, before lashing the ball across the goal and into the corner of the net.
But De Jong really should have put the game to bed with 57 minutes gone when he was picked out unmarked by Wijnaldum beyond the far post, but somehow contrived to miss the target.
Both sides went for the victory in a thrilling conclusion with Elliot denying Gestede a later victor and substitute Ayoze Perez passing up a last-gasp opportunity. “I would tell them [fans] to keep the faith”.
Ayew’s sweet 61st-minute strike gave Newcastle keeper Rob Elliot no chance and was worthy of tangible reward at the end of the game.
“His goal was brilliant”, Villa manager Remi Garde said of Ayew’s sublime finish.
Torrential rain on Tyneside did its best to make life hard for the players with surface water hampering them for much of the contest.
The next few weeks promise to be pivotal – with the trip to Newcastle followed by matches against West Ham, Norwich and Sunderland, plus a potentially awkward FA Cup tie at League Two club Wycombe Wanderers. He wants first in the short term, of course, that we try to be safe in the Premier League. Typically when you are nine points behind Chelsea in December you are doing quite well – that’s tongue in cheek, but I think people who have already given up should have a bit more faith in what we are trying to do.
“Our attitude was different in the second half”, said former Arsenal midfielder Garde, who is yet to taste victory of any kind since taking over from Tim Sherwood in early November, said.
Advertisement
“We have pressure to win this match But it is the same on the other side”.
