Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville agree on Premier League title race
Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Liverpool.com or go back to LFC Live.
Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville have both dismissed Aston Villa as Premier League title contenders despite the Midlands club sitting third in the table after 10 consecutive wins(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)Aston Villa shouldn't be viewed as genuine Premier League title challengers this season, despite their blistering run of form. This is the verdict from both Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville, who have ruled out Unai Emery's side's chances.Villa currently sits third in the Premier League table, trailing leaders Arsenal by three points and sitting one point behind second-placed Manchester City.
A lot would have to go wrong for Arsenal and Man City for Aston Villa to win the league. I don't think they are – and that's not me being disrespectful to Aston Villa."They're just not as good as Arsenal and Man City.
They're doing excellent, they're doing great, but to win the title, it takes a lot and I just don't feel they're going to be in the title race."When questioned about Villa's impressive home form and Emery's credentials, Rooney continued: "Yeah, but I just think it takes something special to win the Premier League title and I just don't think Aston Villa are at the level of Arsenal or Man City."Villa have managed just one clean sheet across their previous eight matches in all competitions, and that came against bottom-placed Wolves. They also find themselves 15th in a Premier League table based on Expected Goals (xG), indicating they are currently overperforming.READ MORE: Wayne Rooney can't help himself while heaping praise on Liverpool's 'best signing yet'READ MORE: Antoine Semenyo told 'perfect' transfer option as Liverpool handed alternative Jurgen Klopp lovedEmery's squad have conceded first in each of their last five Premier League away fixtures, and whilst they have rallied to claim victory in three of those encounters, their displays don't reflect those of championship-calibre side."We are not contenders," Emery admitted following the United match.