John Carew’s first-half goal gave Aston Villa a 1-0 win over relegation candidates Hull City at Villa Park on Monday as the Midlands side assured themselves of European soccer next season.
Victory, Villa’s first in 13 matches, saw them regain fifth place in the English Premier League from Everton and secured their spot in the Europa League, which will replace the UEFA Cup.
By contrast, defeat left Hull just three points above the relegation zone with three games left at the end of a round of matches where all the teams in the bottom eight lost.
“It was relief at the end that we have won a game,” Villa manager Martin O’Neill told Sky Sports. “We’ve thrown away leads against Stoke and West Ham and tonight it was nice to keep a clean sheet.”
Norway striker Carew grabbed the only goal of the game in the 34th minute when he turned in an Ashley Young cross from close range.
There was a suspicion of offside regarding Carew’s 14th goal of the season but the forward said: “It was very good, the referee made the right decision.”
“I wasn’t sure but it was good to see it wasn’t offside,” he said. “It was a brilliant ball, I just had to put my foot on it.”
Hull goalkeeper Boaz Myhill made several fine saves to deny Villa, who fielded eight England players as England boss Fabio Capello looked on, a more emphatic victory, including a fine point-blank stop from Gabriel Agbonlahor.
■BARTON SUSPENDED
AFP, NEWCASTLE, ENGLAND
Joey Barton was yesterday suspended “until further notice” by Newcastle United in a move that looks set to signal the end to the controversial midfielder’s career at the club.
The announcement followed reports of a dressing-room confrontation with temporary manager Alan Shearer in the wake of Sunday’s 3-0 defeat by Liverpool at Anfield.
Shearer had publicly accused Barton of letting himself and the club down by getting himself sent off in the closing stages of the match for a reckless challenge on Xabi Alonso.
The red card ensured Barton will miss Newcastle’s three remaining matches this season, which will determine whether or not the club keeps its place in the Premier League.
Barton, 26, has missed most of this campaign through a combination of injury and suspension after being given a second chance at the club following two assault convictions last year.
The midfielder spent 74 days in prison for assaulting a 16-year-old in Liverpool city center in December 2007 and received a four-month suspended sentence for a training ground attack on former Manchester City teammate Ousmane Dabo, which left his victim with a fractured eye socket in April 2007.
Barton was fined six weeks’ wages by Manchester City after stubbing a lit cigar into the eye of teammate Jamie Tandy at a Christmas party in 2004.
City’s patience finally wore out as a result of the attack on Dabo and Barton was sold to Newcastle for £5.8 million (US$8.7 million) in 2007.
Newcastle legend Malcolm MacDonald said the midfielder should be offloaded immediately.
“The guy has continuously bought Newcastle United into disrepute,” the former Magpies striker said. “It really isn’t good enough. In the short time he has been at Newcastle, he has either been injured, in prison or in trouble. Enough is enough.”
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