Steven Gerrard wants Villa to finish home campaign on a high

Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard hopes his players can channel frustration from the last two matches into securing a positive result when they face Burnley in their final home game of the season on Thursday.

Five days on from being beaten 2-1 at Villa Park by Liverpool, Gerrard’s men were held to a 1-1 draw at the ground by Crystal Palace on Sunday, with Ollie Watkins’ 69th-minute opener being cancelled out by a close-range finish from substitute Jeffrey Schlupp 11 minutes later.

Prior to breaking the deadlock, Villa’s attempts had included a trio of Danny Ings shots being sent off-target, and Watkins then struck wide as the hosts were unsuccessful in a late push to reclaim the lead.

They ended the day lying 13th in the Premier League, four points behind 10th-placed Brighton with a game in hand – Villa have two more to go, with the Burnley contest being followed by a final-day trip to Manchester City.

They have been seeking a first top-10 finish in the division since 2011, and Gerrard said: “It’s on but it’s slightly more difficult now. We needed to really take control of that and take maximum points (against Palace).

“But my players are frustrated and I really like that they are frustrated and hopefully we can go and take that frustration out on Thursday night because if we want to be a more consistent team at home, we have to be more ruthless and clinical in front of goal.

If we want to be a more consistent team at home, we have to be more ruthless and clinical in front of goal- Steven Gerrard

“That’s two games now in a short space of time where we’re a little bit frustrated we haven’t taken big chances we’re creating. But we’re doing ever so well to create them.”

Gerrard also said his team had been “naive” with regard