This is why Steven Gerrard will be ‘really annoyed’ with Aston Villa after Newcastle defeat

The Villians travelled to Tyneside looking for a first Premier League win at St James Park since a Gareth Barry brace and a goal from Juan Pablo Angel gave David O’Leary’s side a 3-0 win in April 2005.

Gerrard’s men looked off the pace against a resurgent Magpies side and fell behind to a Kieran Trippier free-kick ten minutes before half-time.

Despite Newcastle losing full-back duo Trippier and Javi Manquillo to injuries, Villa were unable to take advantage as they only tests Magpies keeper Martin Dubravka once during the entire 90 minutes.

However, it is Villa’s performance in the final 15 minutes that will have frustrated Gerrard according to former England defender Neville.

Any attempts to build pressure on their hosts were rendered futile by several fouls across the pitch as the game became fractious and allowed the Magpies to see out time with ease.

That left Neville to deliver a brutal assessment of Villa’s performance and he compared it to the one he saw from former club Manchester United in their draw against Southampton on Saturday.

“They were massively frustrating for me in the last 15 minutes,” Neville told Sky Sports.

“It comes off a theme after watching Manchester United.

“Terrible in chasing the game. Chasing a goal. Giving fouls away. Forcing it. Crossing it from poor areas.

“Villa did really do that in the last 15 minutes. They allowed Newcastle to manage those last 15 minutes by taking the time on throw-ins and free-kicks. Giving free-kicks away. Bookings.

“I thought it was really poor in the last 10-15 minutes. I think Steven Gerrard will be really annoyed with that. I think he would want more composure on the pitch.”

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