Troy Deeney raves about four ‘wonderful’ Aston Villa players after what they did vs Newcastle
Aston Villa strengthened their title hopes by beating Newcastle 2-0 at St James’ Park on Sunday.
Goals from Emi Buendia and Ollie Watkins were enough for the Villans to secure all three points and win their first away match against the Magpies since 2005.
Aston Villa’s win over Newcastle leaves them third in the table, and Unai Emery’s side now sit just four points adrift of league leaders Arsenal.
Former Birmingham striker Troy Deeney was among those seriously impressed with the performance, and he named four Villa players in his Premier League Team of the Week.
Ian Maatsen and Emi Martinez praised for their defensive contributions
Maatsen has been impressive for Villa this season, and he has slowly become the first-choice left-back ahead of Lucas Digne.
According to FotMob, Maatsen won 80 per cent of his ground duels and 67 per cent of his aerial duels on Sunday.
Deeney said: “He hasn’t actually been a regular. He does so much going forward for Villa with his crossing.
“He’s not really known for his defending, but I thought he shackled Harvey Barnes and put him in his back pocket.”
| Stat | Maatsen |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Ground duels won | 80% |
| Aerial duels won | 67% |
| Recoveries | 7 |
| Touches | 42 |
Deeney was also left impressed by Emi Martinez’s performance, with the Argentine claiming his fifth clean sheet of the campaign.
Martinez has faced criticism for making several high-profile errors this season.
However, his ability to kill the game was hugely important, and he registered six high claims and one punch against the Magpies.
Martinez certainly employed a bit of gamesmanship, but Villa fans will not mind if it helps them maintain their impressive form.
Deeney said: “Wonderful performance. It says 2-0 on the scoresheet, but if you watched the game, it felt like Newcastle had the better chances.”
The player-turned-pundit also gave recognition to some of Villa’s more attacking players.
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Emi Buendia and Youri Tielemans receive their flowers for what they did vs Newcastle
Buendia has been excellent for Villa this season after returning from an underwhelming loan spell with Bayer Leverkusen.
On Sunday, the 29-year-old scored a fantastic curling effort from outside of the box and recorded four shots during the course of the match.
He has become known for scoring long-range screamers, and Villa wouldn’t have secured the win if it weren’t for his brilliance in attack.
Deeney said: “Scored unbelievable goals, all vital for their team’s attacking outlet. Buendia, for me, just showed that little bit of class and magic. I love to see players taking a risk.”
Youri Tielemans has been an incredible signing for Villa since joining from Leicester in 2023, and he has quickly become one of their most important players.
Against Newcastle, he created two chances and made four passes in the final third.
With Boubacar Kamara and John McGinn out injured, Tielemans adapted brilliantly to playing much deeper in midfield, yet remained a creative force going forward.
Deeney added: “He was the best player on the pitch by a country mile. He’s slowly become Villa’s most important player.
“He dictates the play, breaks it up, and does everything right. Very, very good player and that pains me to say as a Birmingham City fan.”
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