Unai Emery explains why Aston Villa aren't yet title contenders despite brilliant Newcastle win

Goals from Emi Buendia and Ollie Watkins gave Villa a first win on Tyneside since 2005 and moved them back level with second-placed Manchester City in the Premier.

Yet a week after claiming his team were not even “top-five contenders” following a home defeat to Everton, Emery explained why it is too early to specify his team’s precise targets for the campaign. 

The boss used their poor start to the season - when they failed to win any of their first five matches - as evidence of how things can quickly change.

“It’s 38 matches,” he said. “Maybe last year they were asking the same of Nottingham Forest when they were in the day 23 with 44 or 45 points. They finished seventh.

“Of course, when we came back at the start of the season, were we contender?

“When we had the first five matches and didn’t win, were we a contender?

“No-one was asking me. They were saying: ‘Oh, maybe you are having problems this year. Maybe you are going to be relegated?’

“It is like that. Always I am very positive and hard-working with the players and trying to focus in each moment.

“We are in this position in the day 23 and it is fantastic. But I prefer to wait until the day 35.”

Villa have now won 14 out of 18 league matches since their dreadful start and Sunday’s victory ranked among their finest of the campaign, coming less than 72 hours after they won away at Fenerbahce in the Europa League.

After Emi Martinez had denied Sandro Tonali inside the opening 40 seconds, Buendia broke the deadlock with a superb, dipping shot from 20 yards out.

Martinez then saved brilliantly again from Lewis Miley but Villa always carried a greater threat and Watkins made the points safe when he headed home in the 88th minute.

“I am really so, so happy. But I am being realistic,” said Emery. “Of course we are now competing for the position we are.

“But last week we lost and were frustrated. Nobody was asking me about the title after Everton.

“We had a very busy and difficult week because we were painful after losing on Sunday.

“We reacted on Thursday and got up. Today winning again we got up and feel confidence again in what we are doing.

“Next match is Salzburg in the Europa League and then Brentford in the Premier League.

“They are performing fantastic and we can win - but we can lose as well.

“Where we are in the day 35 more or less where we are going to be in that moment we can speak differently about the mentality we have now.

“Now we just want to get as many points as possible.”