Express & Star

Steven Gerrard: Aston Villa were 'nowhere near' required standard

Villa boss Steven Gerrard admitted his side were ‘nowhere near’ the standard required after a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle.

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Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard

A Kieran Trippier free-kick which deflected off the thigh of Emi Buendia proved the decisive strike in a game which also saw a j Ollie Watkins levellers ruled out for offisde in the second half.

And Villa head coach Gerrard admittd his side must produce more. “Look, VAR have taken a long time to make a decision – that tells you that it’s extremely close,” he said.

“Sometimes you perform to a level where you make your own luck, but our level was nowhere near, so we got what we deserved from this game.

“I’ve got no complaints with the outcome. I might have been different if that would have gone in our favour, but we’d be clutching at straws if we were pointing fingers towards VAR.

“I don’t think Newcastle have had to play ever so well to beat us – that’s a big frustration as well.”