'Best call ever?' - Sir Alex Ferguson's incredible prediction goes viral after Aston Villa secure Champions League spot

Manchester City's 2-0 victory at Tottenham means the Villans are assured of fourth spot in the table following their 3-3 draw with Liverpool on Monday night and it represents a monumental achievement by Emery. Villa's campaign actually got off to a horrendous start when they lost 5-1 to Newcastle on the opening weekend but 13-time Premier League winner and Manchester United legend Ferguson saw the positives from the result at St James' Park - and in hindsight, his analysis was pure genius.

Ferguson said: "To be honest with you, I watched Aston Villa and I can't believe the scoreline. Honestly Aston Villa played fantastic football and just lost to bad goals. Newcastle are going to be very difficult to beat, on their own ground in particular, and their manager has done a great job there. It's a surprising game, football. You can play teams off the pitch and not score - that's what Aston Villa did."

With Champions League qualification secured, Villa will be in a celebratory mood when they travel to in-form Crystal Palace on Sunday. A Spurs win at City would have made the tricky fixture rather daunting but Selhurst Park should now see positivity coming from all angles. A victory would see Emery's side break the 70-point barrier and make it 21 wins from 38 matches.