Aston Villa forward Nicolas Jackson has hit out at Newcastle United defender Sven Botman for 'nearly breaking his leg' in Saturday's Premier League fixture.

The West Midlands outfit continued their upturn in form with a 1-0 victory over the Magpies at St James' Park.

Unai Emery's side have now moved into 12th position in the Premier League table, just five points adrift of third-placed Brighton & Hove Albion.

However, there was a flashpoint in the North-East when Botman faced a VAR review for a strong challenge on Jackson.

While it was deemed that the referee's decision to caution the defender was correct, the Villa star disagreed.

Jackson hits out at Botman challenge

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Jackson questioned why a high challenge did not warrant a dismissal.

The Senegal international said: "The referee said it was a yellow card but it was so high. Hopefully next time it is a red card.

"I nearly broke my leg, but it's fine. It's part of football."

Jackson continues hot Aston Villa start

Although Jackson did not score in Saturday's fixture, the former Chelsea man produced another effective performance down the centre of the Villa attack.

His link-up play in what is a new-look Villa final third is proving to be invaluable as the club move on from the likes of Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins.

Ahead of Wednesday's Champions League fixture against Viking, Jackson will be considered for a rest, with the game coming just three days before a home Premier League contest versus Manchester City.

Jackson has already racked up 650 minutes for Villa across three competitions since his arrival, including 258 minutes in the last week.