Wembley scorer Mbwana Samatta confident Aston Villa can win fight against relegation

Villa returned to training today for the first time since Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester City, with striker Samatta insisting they can take positives from the performance.

Dean Smith’s team, who sit 19th in the table, have 11 matches left to rescue their top-flight status starting with Monday’s trip to Leicester.

Samatta said: “Everybody is confident, everybody has positive energy. I am sure we will stay up. We just have to work hard.

“I think the character is there. Everybody is believing but there’s something missing and we’re going to have to find it.

“The cup final is finished already. This is the past. We didn’t win the cup. Now we are just focusing on the next game and we’re going to play and try to win.”

January signing Samatta became the first Tanzanian to ever score at Wembley when he headed home Anwar El Ghazi’s 41st-minute cross.

But the 27-year-old admitted to mixed emotions after Villa’s quest to end a 24-year major trophy drought ended in defeat.

“Was it a special moment? Kind of. I just wanted to win the cup,” he said. “Better than scoring would have been winning the cup.

“I just tried to be available in the box. I know (El) Ghazi tries to find me with that kind of ball.

“He is always talking about that and when I get the ball I try to find him to cross the ball.

“When I saw him running there I tried to go inside the box and it was a perfect cross, I had to put my head there.”