Dean Smith lauds Aston Villa's 'big win' over Newcastle United | OneFootball

Two first-half goals from Conor Hourihane and Anwar El Ghazi just four minutes apart lifted Aston Villa to a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United on Monday.

The win was Villa’s first in the league since their 2-1 triumph over Brighton five weeks ago.

After the match, manager Dean Smith beamed with pride as the win took them four points away from the relegation zone.

“It shows how close this league is,” Smith said in his post-match press conference.

“It was a big win in terms of the table. What you don’t want to see is a gap opening up (above). It puts us in a shout with teams above us.

“The top four have won nine games, everybody else have won four – other than Burnley with five – it shows how competitive the league is.

“You can put three results together and be in the top 10 or lose three and be in the bottom five. It’s the way it seems this season.”

Villa will have their work cut out if they are to continue their winning run, with matches at Manchester United and Chelsea followed by a home clash with Leicester coming up next.