Unai Emery’s Aston Villa shook off their Champions League elimination with a resounding 4-1 victory over fellow European hopefuls Newcastle United at Villa Park.
Villa were the dominant force as they put stand-in boss Jason Tindall’s men to the sword. Ollie Watkins scored the opener after just 33 seconds before hitting the woodwork twice in the first half. A Fabian Schär equaliser was sandwiched between Watkins’s efforts, before the hosts controlled the second half.
Ian Maatsen scored his first ever Premier League goal to give Villa the lead for the second time before an own goal from Dan Burn and a thunderbolt from Amadou Onana gave Villa three deserved points at Villa Park.
As it happened
Two of the Premier League’s most in-form teams put on an entertaining spectacle at Villa Park, as it only took 33 seconds for The Villans to take the lead. Youri Tielemans picked up a clearance in the middle of the park and immediately played the ball forwards to Watkins, who shifted onto his right foot and let fly. His effort took a deflection off Schär that wrong footed Nick Pope as the ball bounced into the back of the net.
It was nearly 2-0 within five minutes, as Watkins rattled the woodwork. The Englishman drove at the Newcastle backline before rifling a left-footed effort off the crossbar, which Pope would have had little chance of stopping. Watkins would be rueing that effort as the visitors responded in the 18th minute.
The in-from Harvey Barnes registered another assist, delivering an excellent cross to the back post for Schär, who peeled off his marker, to head home through Emiliano Martínez’s legs.
Embed from Getty ImagesOnce more following the equaliser, Watkins was out of luck. For the second time since opening the scoring, the striker hit the woodwork, after Asensio won and delivered a set-piece which found him in the box, only for his header to cannon off the post and away from danger.
Newcastle still posed a threat and Sandro Tonali decided to let fly from 25-yards. It required action from Martínez, with the shot taking a slight deflection that diverted the ball towards the bottom corner.
The final chance of the half fell to the hosts. Villa countered beautifully, starting from the left-flank before coming back infield to the middle of the park. Watkins spotted Morgan Rogers back out on the wing, and he drove forward before stinging Pope’s palms with a testing effort from just inside the area.
After the interval, Villa took firm control of the tie, as Tielemans rose highest to meet a corner and glanced a header goalwards. Tonali would clear it from danger, although replays revealed the header would have ended just wide of the post.
Another Villa chance came as Boubacar Kamara spotted John McGinn driving through the middle. The Scotsman got an effort away which Pope punched clear. The ball ended up with Rogers who delayed his shot, before sending an effort into the gloves of the Newcastle shot stopper. However, Villa would go on to retake the lead in the 64th minute.
The goal came courtesy of super play from Emery’s men, as Rogers was found in acres of space in the middle of the park by Martínez. He turned and found Asesnio, who swept the ball into the path of Watkins who, in turn, spotted Maasten overlapping down the left channel. The Dutchman bombed into the area and applied the finish past Pope to give Villa the lead and claim his first Premier League goal.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn truth, Newcastle were poor in the second half but, after going behind once more, Tindall’s men tried to sustain pressure in the the Villa half. However, the hosts defended resolutely and provided the knockout blow by scoring twice in two minutes
In the 73rd minute, substitute Jacob Ramsey provided extra impetus as he advanced towards the box and drilled a cross in looking for Tielemans, who failed to connect before the ball cannoned off the unfortunate Burn and past a stranded Pope. Within two minutes the game was well and truly put to bed.
Initially Pope made a wonderful save to deny Rogers who jinked past a tired Tino Livermento and looked to reverse the ball across the keeper, but the danger was not over, as Rogers was able to pick up the loose ball before teeing up substitute Onana, who thundered a stunning first-time effort into the top corner from outside the area.
Ramsey nearly made it five, as he tried to bend his effort into the bottom corner of the net only to see it rattle off the post and away to safety for the visitors.
The game saw no more goals scored as Villa recorded another win which sees Emery’s rise above Chelsea into sixth on 57 points – only two shy of their opponents – while Newcastle remain third, with the race for Champions League football ever intensifying. Next for Villa is a trip to Wembley in their FA Cup semi-final clash with Crystal Palace, while Newcastle host relegation threatened Ipswich Town in the Premier League.
The lineups
AVI: Martínez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen; Tielemans, Kamara; Rogers, McGinn, Asensio; Watkins
NEW: Pope; Tripper, Schär, Burn, Liveramento; Guimarães, Tonali, Joelinton; Barnes, Isak, Murphy