Pundit Gary Neville has suggested that Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard will be ‘furious’ with his players after their defeat at Newcastle United.
Villa went to St James’ Park in search of a big result having thrown away a 3-1 lead at home to Leeds United last week.
They came way empty-handed though as Kieran Trippier’s deflected first-half free kick was enough to give Newcastle the victory.
Villa did have the ball in the net after the break as Ollie Watkins scored, but it was ruled out for offside.
Villa just couldn’t get anything going late in the game, with Newcastle able to break up play and slow the pace of the game down.
Philippe Coutinho couldn’t create any magic and substitutes Danny Ings and Leon Bailey failed to really make much of an impact.
All in all, this was a very frustrating day for Villa, who just couldn’t click in the final third – a far cry from their three-goal first-half showing against Leeds.
Towards the end of the game, boss Steven Gerrard appeared to be slumped in his seat, completely frustrated with his side’s performance.
Pundit Gary Neville spotted this moment, noting how downbeat Gerrard looked as Villa offered a toothless display.
Neville told Sky Sports (13/02, 3:57pm) that Villa only turned up for half an hour and Gerrard would be rightly furious with his players.
Neville added that Villa completely lost their composure whilst seeking an equaliser, and Gerrard’s body language told the whole story.
“He slumps back in his chair, Steven Gerrard, I think he’ll be furious with his team,” said Neville. “He’ll be happy with them for half an hour, and I think he’ll be disappointed in this last 15 minutes for how they’ve approached this game. They’ve lost their composure in their play,” he added.
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