Aston Villa: Martin O'Neill all but throws in towel on Champions League chase

Apr 13 2009 By Mat Kendrick

MARTIN O’Neill has all but thrown in the towel on Villa’s Champions League hopes despite insisting there is still a glimmer of hope.

Yesterday’s pulsating 3-3 draw with Everton at Villa Park leaves O’Neill’s team eight points adrift of fourth-placed Arsenal with just six games left.

Villa produced a stirring second-half comeback to earn a share of the spoils and prevent the Merseysiders leapfrogging them into fifth spot.

But O’Neill agreed with Toffees counterpart David Moyes that both clubs’ prospects of catching the Gunners were dented by the stalemate. Moyes felt Villa or Everton needed victory from yesterday’s thrilling encounter to stand any chance of putting pressure on Arsenal.

Asked if he was of the same belief, O’Neill, whose team battled back from 3-1 down to snatch a point, replied: “I wouldn’t disagree.

“Unfortunately, one of the two of us had to win to keep going, so it’s a result that would definitely suit Arsenal who are obviously the nearest rivals.

“From that viewpoint it’s disappointing not to have gone on and won it.

“Considering the fightback that we’ve made I thought we could have won it.”

O’Neill accepts Villa would virtually need to take maximum points from home games against West Ham, Hull and Newcastle and away trips to Bolton, Fulham and Middlesbrough to stand any chance of finishing fourth.

And with yesterday’s draw extending their winless run in all competitions to 10 games, the Villa boss understands the view that the prospect of his team embarking on a sequence of six victories seems unlikely.