Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew wants Aston Villa to pull off Premier League great escape

Alan Pardew wants Aston Villa to stay in the Premier League. The Crystal Palace manager does not believe that a club of Villa's "magnitude" belong in the Championship.

Villa are now eight points from safety with 17 games remaining, despite beating Pardew's Palace side 1-0. Following the game, Pardew admitted he is keen for them to stay in the top flight.

"I hope they do, they're a great club," the 54-year-old manager said, according to the BBC. "The Premier League would not want to lose a club of this magnitude. I hope they can resolve it."

The win against Palace was just Villa's second triumph in the Premier League all season and the first for manager Remi Garde, who replaced Tim Sherwood last year. The Frenchman relished the victory but warned his players they must focus on the next game.

"It was a nice feeling to feel the crowd behind the players, it's very important. We cannot be happy too long – we have to build on this one," the Aston Villa boss explained.

The win came shortly after Garde, 49, admitted the relegation-threatened Midlands club are struggling to attract players in the January transfer window.

"Attracting players in the situation we are in is not an easy task because players are not only attracted by money, as many people think," the Aston Villa manager said. "They also care about the project that we present to them. I have to say that if we had been in a better position, I would probably already have signed at least two players.

"Of course, when a player says 'I would have liked to have worked with you but, I'm sorry, I prefer to wait and see what happens', it is very frustrating. But I can do nothing about that. It is very frustrating but I came into a situation that I knew could be uncomfortable to me for signing players."

Despite beating Crystal Palace, Aston Villa still languish at the foot of the Premier League table, having already lost 14 games.