Aston Villa captain Ron Vlaar has admitted that his side are involved in a relegation battle following their 1-0 defeat against Crystal Palace this weekend.

The Villans fell to a fourth-successive defeat in the league at Selhurt Park and are now just four points above the relegation zone.

"We need to realise the situation we're in and stick together. Results haven't gone our way in the last three weeks and we need the fans behind us," The Mirror quotes Vlaar as saying. "We've lost four in a row since we beat Chelsea. We have to stop the sequence and change it around as soon as possible.

"The gap is down to four points, the bottom three are not far behind us and we realise we're going to need more points.

"I know, and I believe, we're capable of getting the results we need. Everyone says one more win will do it, but a lot of teams below us won today – suddenly it's all squeezed together down there and we have to realise where we are."

Aston Villa are one of only seven teams who have never been relegated from the Premier League.