An early Anthony Gordon goal and first-half Jhon Duran red card helped Newcastle United to a 3-0 win over Aston Villa at St. James’ Park on Boxing Day Thursday.
Alexander Isak and Joelinton scored in the second half for Newcastle, who posted a third-straight Premier League clean sheet to pull into fifth place on the table with 29 points.
Duran’s sending-off for violent conduct stopped City from making it back-to-back PL wins following their defeat of Manchester City.
The Villans slip into ninth with their 28 points.
Magpies find standard in congested race for Champions League
Newcastle did not qualify for Europe last season, and Eddie Howe’s men were expected to mount a strong charge in order to rectify that this season. It was frustrating for the Toon Army to watch the Magpies fail to take advantage of down periods for Manchester United and Tottenham, but now they are performing the same way against every caliber opponent. Jhon Duran’s red card helped, of course, but Newcastle’s Best XI is enough to beat Villa at home and the Magpies goal before 90 seconds showed a glimpse of the incisive, dangerous attack we saw many times over the past two seasons. They will likely need health and at least on depth piece at center forward in January with Callum Wilson hurt again. And they could need more if they sell Kieran Trippier, Miguel Almiron, and/or Sean Longstaff, but right now this Starting XI plus Harvey Barnes, the ill Valentino Livramento, and injured Sven Botman and Nick Pope give Newcastle a logical shot to go back to the UCL (especially if fifth place will do the trick).
Newcastle vs Aston Villa player ratings
(from fotmob.com)
Newcastle vs Aston Villa player ratings (from fotmob.com)
Newcastle vs Aston Villa player ratings (from fotmob.com)
What’s next?
Villa host Brighton at 2:45pm ET Monday, 15 minutes before Newcastle kickoff at Manchester United.
How to watch Newcastle vs Aston Villa live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 10 am ET Thursday (December 26)
Venue: St. James’ Park — Newcastle
TV Channel: USA
Streaming: Watch live on NBC.com
Newcastle vs Aston Villa live score: 3-0
Goal scorers: Anthony Gordon 2', Alexander Isak 59', Joelinton 90+1'
Red card: Jhon Duran 59'
Newcastle vs Aston Villa live updates — By Nick Mendola
Full time stats — Newcastle 3-0 Aston Villa
Newcastle out-attempt Villa 22-4, piling up 2.62 xG to Villa’s 0.34.
Newcastle held 62% of the ball, putting eight shots on target.
Martin Dubravka only had to make a single save for his clean sheet.
Joelinton goal — Newcastle 3-0 Aston Villa (90+1')
Newcastle gets its deserved third.
Amadou Onana gives the ball away to Joelinton, and Newcastle’s Brazilian midfielder pushes toward the box and whips a wicked shot past Martinez.
That’ll do it.
Bruno Guimaraes goal disallowed
Bit of good fortune here for Villa.
Barnes nearly puts Newcastle in front off a Lewis Hall cross.
A desperation Villa clearance goes off the elbow of a turning Guimaraes, off the post, and into the goal.
VAR says no goal.
Kieran Trippier injury as Newcastle make subs
Kieran Trippier, starting for the ill Tino Livramento, has to come off and Matt Targett takes his place.
Also exiting is Murphy for Harvey Barnes, and Gordon for Joe Willock.
2-0 Newcastle, 79'.
Villa nearly pull one back
Schar makes a fine intervention to deny Ollie Watkins a tap-in. That would’ve changed plenty.
Alexander Isak goal — Newcastle 2-0 Aston Villa (59th minute)
It was coming, and now it’s here.
Bruno sends Jacob Murphy into the box, who slides across for Isak to tap home.
Only Mohamed Salah (15), Erling Haaland (13), and Cole Palmer (12) have more goals than Isak’s 11 this Premier League season.
Halftime sub
Ollie Watkins is on for 10-man Villa. Can he deliver an equalizer and an impressive point (or three) to the visitors?
Magpies pressing for second
Isak sets up a goal but the ball had gone out of play first, and Newcastle are right back it.
This time Martinez denies a solid chance, as Bruno Guimaraes slid across for a strong Sandro Tonali rip.
Now Morgan Rogers goes down grabbing his face, and Joelinton is shown a yellow card.
1-0, 45'.
Jhon Duran red card (video)!
Jhon Duran is pressing Fabian Schar, and fouls the Swiss defender who falls to the turf.
The falling Schar seems to catch Duran on the thigh, and Duran responds by putting his studs on Schar’s leg, back, and then head.
Not going to see that overturned. Villa will be down to 10 men for the next 58 minutes.
Schar free kick saved
Swiss back Fabian Schar swirls a shot on goal and Martinez dives low to his left and parries the effort.
Martinez saves Joelinton
Nice little move from the Magpies on the left, led by some tight technical work from Alexander Isak.
Anthony Gordon is kept outside the left edge of the 18 and instead swoops a cross into a mass of bodies that Joelinton turns on goal with a header.
Emiliano Martinez collects the shot. Still 1-0, 26'.
Newcastle get a little sloppy
The Magpies have required some defensive intervention including a notable tackle from Kieran Trippier.
That’s thanks to a pair of errors on the right side. Sandro Tonali played short to a Jacob Murphy who had already left on a long run, and Murphy soon passed to Villa on another bid to leave the Newcastle half.
Villa have grown in confidence along with their better possession, and it feels more even as Newcastle’s 1-0 lead hits the 19th minute.
Anthony Gordon goal! Newcastle 1-0 Aston Villa (2nd minute)
Newcastle waste no time, with Sandro Tonali starting the play in the midfield and Anthony Gordon burying a beautiful goal in the second minute.
Lewis Hall’s overlapping run helps Gordon have space to reach the edge of the box, and the ex-Everton man lets an arrow fly across goal and past Emiliano Martinez.
Fantastic stuff.
Newcastle lineup
Dubravka, Trippier, Schar, Burn, Hall, Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton, Murphy, Gordon, Isak
Aston Villa lineup
Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Kamara, Tielemans, Onana, McGinn, Rogers, Duran
Newcastle team news, focus
OUT: Nick Pope (knee), Emil Krafth (shoulder), Callum Wilson (thigh), Jamaal Lascelles (knee) | QUESTIONABLE: Joelinton (head), Sven Botman (knee)
Aston Villa team news, focus
OUT: Jacob Ramsey (thigh)
Newcastle vs Aston Villa prediction
These are two teams that are better, the more open and adventurous they are. Not only does no one want to see a cagey tactical battle, but it suits neither side whatsoever. Give the people what they want. Newcastle 3-3 Aston Villa.
Newcastle vs Aston Villa preview
Newcastle and Aston Villa are both rounding into form at exactly the same time, making their Boxing Day showdown — one with real Champions League implications — the best of a brilliant bunch of fixtures. Five points is all that stands between Newcastle (8th) and Nottingham Forest (4th), and the gap for Aston Villa (6th) is just three points. Throw in four-time defending champions Manchester City and two top-half newbies in Forest and Bournemouth, and we have the makings of a sensational top-4 race in the Premier League.
Newcastle are winners of two straight (4-0 in each) and Alexander Isak has been virtually unplayable (4 goals, 1 assist), but the real story is the back-to-back clean sheets. Prior to beating Leicester and Ipswich, Eddie Howe’s side gave up 10 goals in 4 games and won just 2 points as a result. Now, star defender Sven Botman is close to returning from a torn ACL and the Magpies look like a real contender. Villa, meanwhile, looked back to their annoying, pesky best as they beat Man City 2-1 on Saturday. They made possession a constant struggle for the spiraling champs and Morgan Rogers picked them apart (1 goal, 1 assist) on the counter with Jhon Duran also on the scoresheet again.
