Kendrick: Villa would be down without Benteke

Birmingham Mail's Mat Kendrick says Aston Villa would almost certainly have been relegated were it not for the form of striker Christian Benteke.

Benteke scored a hat-trick as Paul Lambert's side thrashed Sunderland 6-1 at Villa Park on Monday nightto move five points clear of the relegation zone.

The Belgian has now netted 18 times in the Premier League this season and Kendrick, speaking on Extra Time, said: "He is the guy that has kept them up really. If you took his goals away, Villa probably would have been down already."