Aston Villa are better than Chelsea says John Carew

Feb 20 2009 by Mathew Kendrick, Birmingham Mail

HOLTE End hero John Carew has lit the claret and blue touch-paper ahead of tomorrow’s top-four tussle by declaring Villa are better than Chelsea.

Carew insists on the evidence of their respective seasons that Martin O’Neill’s men deserve to be above the Londoners in the Premier League table.

And the Norwegian target-man, who took the acclaim of fans after his midweek UEFA Cup equaliser, is not playing down the importance of the match.

“It is a big, big game,” said Carew. “They are the side closest to us in the league now.

“But there’s a reason why we are two points ahead of them. We have been better than them this season and we have nothing to fear.

“I think we will go out there and show that tomorrow. There’s a reason why we are where we are. It’s no coincidence having won so many points at this stage and at this level.

“We are quite far along in the season now. We have taken a lot of points, they have taken a lot of points but we have still taken more than them.