Aston Villa inches closer to safety following 0-0 Premier League draw with Southampton

Johannesburg: Aston Villa has inched closer to safety in the Premier League following a goalless draw with Southampton on Saturday at the Villa Park.

Villa snapped the sequence of four successive defeats that saw them slither towards the bottom three by avoiding defeat against an enterprising Southampton team, although they are not safe yet as the result left them only five points clear of the relegation zone with four matches to play.

According to Sport24, despite Villa's pressing need for points, it was eighth-place Southampton who made all the early running at Villa Park, dominating possession in trademark fashion.

Villa had earlier this week suspended assistant manager Ian Culverhouse and head of football operations Gary Karsa, the report added.