Sports

Southampton pile misery on Aston Villa in 4-2 win in EPL

Southampton pile misery on Aston Villa in 4-2 win in EPL

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Southampton's Sadio Mane and Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan during the English Premier League football match between Aston Villa FC and Southampton FC at Villa Park Stadium in Birmingham, England, on Saturday April 23, 2016. Photo: Paul Harding /PA via AP

BIRMINGHAM: Southampton piled more misery on relegated Aston Villa by cruising to a 4-2 win in a toxic atmosphere at Villa Park on Saturday. Villa, falling out of the English Premier League for the first time since 1987, was booed by its own fans on entering the pitch, and jeered after just three minutes because of ongoing woeful defending. Half an hour in, fans turned protest banners into paper planes to throw at the pitch. Villa's 10th straight loss meant it was on the verge of equaling the club's worst losing streak of 11 in 1962-63. For Southampton, still an outside chance of securing a European spot, Shane Long and Dusan Tadic scored in the first half, Tadic got his second after the break, and Sadio Mane finished off in injury time. Ashley Westwood's pair for Villa made the scoreline less embarrassing.