Smith defends contrast between Villa style against Chelsea and Newcastle

Dean Smith admitted that he was disappointed to miss out on all three points against Newcastle, describing the draw as “annoying”.

Aston Villa had to settle for a draw at St James’ Park, meaning they remain without a win in their three games since the Premier League re-start.

Newcastle had taken the lead through Dwight Gayle, before Ahmed Elmohamady rescued a point for Villa. They remain in the relegation zone.

Despite the statistics suggesting a fairly even game, Smith said he thought Villa were the better side.

“It’s an annoying point,” he told Match of the Day. “The majority of the game I thought we were the better team.

“Our defensive display was good but we have to be more clinical.

“There are lots of positives to take. The commitment from the players was great, I thought we threw the kitchen sink at them.

“We were throwing everything at their box trying to get back in to the game and then we almost won it.”

Smith also pointed to improvements from their loss to Chelsea at the weekend. Despite taking the lead in that game, Villa eventually lost 2-1, having seen very little of the ball.

They had more possession against Newcastle, and Smith defended his team’s approach to both matches.

“We had a bit of stick at the weekend about not having much of the ball against Chelsea but they’re a well established Premier League team,” he added.