MX23RW : Saturday, January 18 22:07:21| >> :120:3750:3750:
[monks data]
Attendance: 41,289
Aston Villa logo
Premier League | Gameweek 19
Dec 26, 2019 at 3pm UK
 
Norwich logo

1-0

Hourihane (64')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Dean Smith: 'Still more to come from Jack Grealish'

Dean Smith: 'Still more to come from Jack Grealish'
© Reuters
Villa are a point from safety in the Premier League after victory over Norwich.

Boss Dean Smith backed Jack Grealish to thrive in Aston Villa's tense relegation battle after a crucial victory over Norwich.

Conor Hourihane's second-half strike sealed a 1-0 win and lifted Villa to within a point of safety ahead of Saturday's key trip to Watford.

They were forced to survive long spells of pressure from the Canaries – who missed several clear chances – but clung on for just a second win in 10 Premier League games.

Captain Grealish again shone for Villa, setting up Hourihane, and Smith expects the midfielder to only improve.

He said: "He can get better still. There's still more to come.

"This is his highest goalscoring season of his career and he's starting to make a lot more assists now and he's doing it at the top table, so there's certainly more to come.

"He thrives on pressure though. I spoke to them before the game and I said we've actually put ourselves under more pressure with our recent performances.

"We lost one of our best players in John McGinn, but Jack showed what he is all about.

Aston Villa v Norwich City – Premier League – Villa Park
Villa's Jack Grealish (right) and Norwich's Max Aarons (left) battle for the ball during the Premier League match at Villa Park.

"With our recent results and performances, today I asked for three things from the players, attitude, application and enthusiasm. We got that and they showed a lot of character."

Norwich wasted the chances they had, although Alex Tettey was denied by a brilliant goal-line clearance from Douglas Luiz in the second half.

Sam Byram hit the bar in the first half and also nodded inches wide after the break while Tom Trybull was thwarted by Tom Heaton and the goalkeeper's reaction stop denied Onel Hernandez a late leveller.

Aston Villa v Norwich City – Premier League – Villa Park
Norwich  manager Daniel Farke was unhappy with a throw-in in the build-up to Villa's winner.

But Villa completed the double over Norwich, after a 5-1 win at Carrow Road in October, when substitute Hourihane swept in from 16 yards after 64 minutes.

The Canaries' survival hopes are already looking slim with the club bottom and seven points from safety after a 10th defeat in 14 games.

But boss Daniel Farke was unhappy with the officials and felt they incorrectly awarded Villa a throw in in the build up to the goal

He said: "The situation was clear, (Ezri) Konsa played the ball over the line and we had the throw in but perhaps the only two people in the stadium who got the decision wrong were the assistant referee and fourth official.

"We have to be a bit more switched on in this situation, I will speak to my players.

"But this wasn't a small mistake, it was an unbelievable mistake for this level.

"To have the outcome (from their last three games) with just one point feels like a joke. Football can be cruel sometimes. The main mistake wasn't in our hands.

"It's confidence-killing for the players because they deliver top class performances but don't get their rewards. It's important not to be too addicted to the result or the table.

"We are the biggest underdogs in the whole league and for that we will keep going."

ID:384095: cacheID:384095:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:8323:
Written by
P A
No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith watches his side beaten by Wolves on November 10, 2019
Read Next:
Smith grateful for support of Villa fans and owners
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool21155150203050
2Arsenal21127241192243
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest21125430201041
4Newcastle UnitedNewcastle22115638261238
5Chelsea21107441261537
6Bournemouth22107536261037
7Manchester CityMan City2110563829935
8Aston Villa2110563132-135
9Fulham228953430433
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2171043229331
11Brentford2284104039128
12Crystal Palace226972528-327
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd217592629-326
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham2275102743-1626
15Tottenham HotspurSpurs21731143321124
16Everton203891526-1117
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2144133148-1716
18Ipswich TownIpswich2137112037-1716
19Leicester CityLeicester2235142348-2514
20Southampton2113171347-346


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!