M
SM
Dec 26, 2019 at 3pm UK
Aston Villa
1-0
NorwichNorwich City
Hourihane (64')
FT(HT: 0-0)

TIMELINE

/esi/1339/6_G_1_92685/index.html?art_id=384095&game_id=92685&sport_id=1&ESI

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

:Headline: Dean Smith: 'Still more to come from Jack Grealish': ID:384095: from db_amp
Villa are a point from safety in the Premier League after victory over Norwich.
PA | 4d

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.

“He can get better still. There's still more to come.”
- Dean Smith on Jack Grealish

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.

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.

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."

amp_article_384095 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-12-26 19:32:31:
html db last update - 2019-12-30 17:08:34 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Dean Smith

Click here for more stories about Aston Villa

Share this article now:
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool19181047143355
2Leicester CityLeicester20133443192442
3Manchester CityMan City20132554233141
4Chelsea2011273528735
5Manchester UnitedMan Utd208753223931
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs208663629730
7Wolverhampton WanderersWolves207942925430
8Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd207852319429
9Crystal Palace207671822-427
10Everton207492330-725
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle207492030-1025
12Arsenal205962630-424
13Burnley2073102332-924
14Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton206592428-423
15Southampton2064102438-1422
16Bournemouth2055102028-820
17West Ham UnitedWest Ham1954102132-1119
18Aston Villa2053122536-1118
19Watford2037101533-1816
20Norwich CityNorwich2034132140-1913
Scroll for more - Tap for full version

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
UC
Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Championship Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds25156442202251
2West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom25149247272051
3Fulham25126739281142
4Brentford25124937201740
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2411763123840
6Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds25116837251239
7Preston North EndPreston2511683630639
8Bristol City2510873936338
9Swansea CitySwansea2510873130138
10Cardiff CityCardiff2591063734337
11Millwall2591063131037
12Hull City2510693934536
13Blackburn RoversBlackburn2510693231136
14Reading2495103127432
15Queens Park RangersQPR2595113847-932
16Middlesbrough257992432-830
17Derby CountyDerby257992332-930
18Birmingham CityBirmingham2585122940-1129
19Charlton AthleticCharlton2577113335-228
20Huddersfield TownHuddersfield2577112837-928
21Stoke CityStoke2563162840-1221
22Barnsley2549123247-1521
23Luton TownLuton2563163153-2221
24Wigan AthleticWigan2548132137-1620
Scroll for more - Tap for full version
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
X

We value your privacy

A part of our GDPR compliance we need to ask for your consent. We and our partners use technology such as cookies on Sports Mole to personalise content and ads, provide social media features, and analyse our traffic. Click below to consent to the use of this technology on Sports Mole.