MX23RW : Wednesday, April 3 22:05:41| >> :600:311591:311591:
Mar 30, 2019 at 3pm UK at ​Villa Park (Birmingham)
Attendance: 39,687
Aston Villa
2-1
BlackburnBlackburn Rovers
Abraham (8'), Mings (61')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Bell (74')

Dean Smith: 'Villa are in a good position'

Dean Smith: 'Villa are in a good position'
© Reuters
Blackburn have now lost eight of their last 10 matches.

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has urged his side to maintain their ruthless run if they are to secure a Championship play-off place.

A 2-1 home win over Blackburn was Villa's fifth victory in a row, the club's best run for almost 14 months.

Tammy Abraham's 22nd goal of the season, and a second from Tyrone Mings since his loan move from Bournemouth in January, put Villa in control after an hour.

But Smith's side had to endure a nervous end to the match after Amari'i Bell reduced the arrears in the 74th minute.

Smith said: "We knew how important this game was, and you could feel that in the atmosphere at Villa Park.

"To go five wins in this league is a tremendous achievement for the players but we need to keep winning because we know there are a lot of teams grouped in amongst us.

"We have got ourselves into a good position and we need to maintain the form and performance levels to stay there."

Smith was delighted with the overall performance, adding: "I thought the first-half was probably as good as we have played under me, and that includes being 4-0 up against Derby at half-time here.

"I thought some of our passages of play and movement was outstanding.

"I said before the game that Blackburn have some good players and a good coach, so it was always going to be tough.

"The way that we played in the first-half, the only thing that was missing was probably a three- or four-goal lead.

"Then when we got the second goal I think we thought it was job done a little bit and we got a little bit loose on the ball and never passed it well enough in the last 20 minutes.

"But I must say that for the all the possession we allowed them, they never created much."

Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray felt his side's eighth defeat in 10 games was rough on his side.

Mowbray said: "It was a game of two halves, with Villa's class there to see in the first as we couldn't really get near them and had to work really hard to keep the score where it was.

"But by the end they were hanging on by their fingernails. I thought we grew into the game, playing with a bit more confidence, and we feel a bit disappointed we didn't get something from it in the end."

Reflecting on how far Rovers have come in a short period of time, Mowbray added: "We know we played a good side in the context that we were in League One last year and everyone who started today played in League One for us.

"We gave a pretty good account of ourselves over 90 minutes against a 40,000 crowd and a massive club considering we were playing Wimbledon, Bury and Southend last season.

"Here we are at Villa Park and we are happy enough but we are not happy not to get anything from the game because ultimately I thought the second-half performance warranted nicking something from it."


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Tammy Abraham in action for Aston Villa on January 26, 2019
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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City32262483216280
2Liverpool32247172195379
3Tottenham HotspurSpurs322111060342664
4Arsenal31196665392663
5Chelsea32196755342163
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd32187761431861
7Wolverhampton WanderersWolves32138114039147
8Watford32137124747046
9Leicester CityLeicester32135144243-144
10Everton32127134542343
11West Ham UnitedWest Ham32126144148-742
12Bournemouth32115164358-1538
13Crystal Palace32106163843-536
14Newcastle UnitedNewcastle3298153142-1135
15Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton3196163246-1433
16Southampton3189143550-1533
17Burnley3296173759-2233
18Cardiff CityCardiff3284202861-3328
RFulham3345243076-4617
RHuddersfield TownHuddersfield3235241859-4114

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