Newcastle 0-2 Aston Villa: Guests wore the look of title contenders in dominant win – they have been technically and tactically superior to Eddie Howe’s crushed aspect, writes CRAIG HOPE

Unai Emery may need to query Aston Villa’s survival possibilities the following time he rants. On the again of his claims that they need to probably not be ok for the highest 5, his gamers wore the look of title contenders. 

Not many will come to St James’ Park and win with out concession. In reality, they’re the primary to take action within the Premier League this season. They did it with a efficiency of authority, aptitude and, when wanted, a imply streak of resistance. Mild toes, darkish arts.

Drained after a Thursday night time return from Turkey? You’ll have thought they’d been there for a beauty pick-me-up. They have been technically and tactically superior to Newcastle. They have been extra mature of their sport administration and, in Emiliano Buendia and Morgan Rogers, they’d a pair with whom Eddie Howe’s aspect couldn’t cope. They have been the livewires whose present was too buzzy for the hosts, who flatlined in sport the place a win would have returned them to the highest 5.

Buendia scored an excellent first-half opener and, regardless that it took till the 88th minute for Ollie Watkins to ensure of the win, it by no means actually felt unsure. Can they win the league? Emery says ask him once more after 35 matches. Within the absence of the supervisor’s verdict, his crew screamed sure! That’s how spectacular they have been right here.

From again to entrance – Emiliano Martinez to Watkins – Villa performed with a swagger. Newcastle, within the remaining third no less than, performed with a stagger. For the primary time this season they’ve failed to attain in back-to-back Premier League video games. 

One other stat that ought to have the medical crew working via the night time on Bruno Guimaraes’ sore ankle is that, in 4 years, this was an eleventh top-flight sport with out him within the beginning XI and an eleventh with out a win. They missed their inspirational captain, his drive and want from midfield.

Ollie Watkins added Villa’s second after 88 minutes to safe all three factors at St James’ Park 

But, had the Brazilian been current, there isn’t any assure he would have discovered a manner past Amadou Onana, the metal who serves the silk of Buendia and Rogers. This was a sport through which Newcastle may have performed with the latter pair, with a view to get across the former. Howe was requested if it was time for his membership to discover a No.10 within the mould of the Villa duo. 

‘If you lose a sport, everybody needs to vary one thing,’ he stated. ‘We now have the gamers that we have now, and we have now to discover a answer with these gamers. There’s no level me considering we want one other kind of participant at this second, as a result of it’s not going to occur. The subsequent likelihood we’ll actually have to vary the squad would be the summer time.

‘I don’t assume we performed badly, however definitely across the purpose, we may have performed higher. We nonetheless created possibilities that, on one other day, I feel we rating.’

The primary of these could have altered the course of the afternoon had it gone in. Howe had challenged Sandro Tonali to attain extra targets this week. The midfielder virtually had his first of the season inside 38 seconds. 

Three of these seconds have been spent chopping between three Villa jerseys however his shot, from 10 yards, was stored out by the toes of Martinez. It set the tone for a powerful house begin that might final solely 10 minutes. After that, Villa took management.

Buendia and Rogers have been too intelligent, too skilful and too fast throughout a interval through which the guests appeared like the house aspect and deservedly took the lead on 19 minutes. Moments earlier, Newcastle wanted Nick Pope to disclaim Watkins after a Malick Thiaw error allowed the striker a run on purpose. However Pope had no reply for Buendia’s dipping, devilish strike from 20 yards, for which Rogers was the supplier with a first-time tee.

Buendia had began from the left however Emery, figuring out a gap between Newcastle’s midfield and defence, advised his gamers to populate it. Instantly, they’d three No.10s fizzing round Watkins, Jadon Sancho becoming a member of the celebration from the appropriate. By comparability, Newcastle’s Yoane Wissa was enjoying as if stranded on an island. Their large gamers, Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes, performed too large and, after they did ship, these balls have been both wayward or first rate however with out takers. 

Wissa sometimes had some firm and Lewis Miley would have equalised with a six-yard header simply earlier than the break had Martinez not prolonged his fingertips to claw clear.

Unai Emery’s Villa aspect are the primary to win away at Newcastle’s on this season’s Premier League

It was the final save he needed to make and, regardless of a raft of house adjustments within the second half through which Nick Woltemade and Anthony Elanga changed the disappointing Wissa and Gordon, nothing actually modified. Villa have been the higher aspect and Watkins received his purpose when peeling away unmarked to show in from Lucas Digne’s cross.

The victory strikes Villa stage on factors with Manchester Metropolis in second, with an 11-point cushion to sixth. They’re much better than Emery lets on.