Brilliant Newcastle defeat 10-man Aston Villa

Newcastle United beat Aston Villa's 10 men in a feisty Boxing Day encounter at St James' Park, with Anthony Gordon, Alexander Isak and Joelinton all scoring in a comprehensive 3-0 home win.

Gordon netted with a stunning effort just 80 seconds into the match, before in-form striker Isak and returning midfielder Joelinton put Newcastle out of sight in the second half.

Villa played the majority of the match with 10 men after Jhon Duran was sent off for violent conduct midway through the first half, having aimed a needless kick at Fabian Schar.

Newcastle's assistant manager Jason Tindall was also shown a red card as tensions boiled over at half-time, but the Magpies kept their cool on the pitch and could have won by a greater margin, with Isak, Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes all having goals correctly disallowed and Jacob Murphy hitting the crossbar.

A third straight Premier League win moves Eddie Howe’s team into fifth place with 29 points, as Villa slip to ninth.

How the match unfolded

Newcastle scored from the match's first attack, Gordon bending an unstoppable effort into the top-right corner after being fed by Joelinton.

Matters got worse for Villa when Duran left his foot in on Schar in the 32nd minute, with Anthony Taylor brandishing a straight red card and VAR confirming the referee’s decision.

Joelinton had a strike chalked off due to Isak carrying the ball out of play, then Emiliano Martinez made a miraculous save to deny Sandro Tonali just before half-time. 

However, there was nothing Martinez could do when Newcastle went 2-0 up in the 59th minute, Isak tapping Murphy's cross home from six yards out.

Isak was offside when finishing emphatically from another Murphy pass moments later, before Murphy somehow rattled the crossbar with the goal gaping.

Newcastle's third goal was delayed when Ezri Konsa's clearance deflected in off Guimaraes but was disallowed for handball after a VAR review, but Joelinton eventually made it 3-0 with a curling effort in stoppage time. 

Goals galore for Magpies

Speaking after last Saturday's 4-0 dismantling of Ipswich Town, which came one week after Leicester City were trounced by the same scoreline, Howe said Newcastle's attackers were back to their best after enduring a difficult start to the season.

Gordon, who should arguably have had a couple of goals at Portman Road last time out, wasted no time in getting on the scoresheet here, giving Martinez no chance with a wonderful curling effort from the left corner of the box.

The match became stretched from there, with Lucas Digne and Schar working the goalkeepers with strong free-kick efforts, but when Duran's moment of madness gave Newcastle a numerical advantage, they made it count.

Isak and Murphy combined brilliantly to put Ipswich to the sword last time out, and their latest link-up means Isak has scored in five straight Premier League matches (seven goals in total), with Murphy assisting four in his last four.

Only a marginal offside call denied Isak his brace as he blasted into an unguarded net following fine footwork from Murphy. The in-form winger only had himself to blame, though, when he crashed against the crossbar with Martinez grounded mere moments later.

But this Newcastle team now appears full of goals, and Joelinton – reinstated by Howe after serving a one-match suspension – capped another rampant attacking display by bending home the final goal one minute into stoppage time.

Having scored 11 goals without reply in their last three league matches, Newcastle are ending 2024 on a high. They finish the year with a trip to Old Trafford next Monday, facing Manchester United in a blockbuster fixture. 

Duran gets unwelcome Christmas card

Duran finally looked to have established himself as a regular starter for Villa, scoring 12 goals in all competitions this season – seven of them in the league – to displace Ollie Watkins up front.

Indeed, Thursday's match was the fourth in a row in which Villa left Watkins out of their starting line-up in the Premier League, the first time that has happened since he arrived from Brentford back in 2020.

However, Duran – who often uses his physicality and aggression to unsettle opponents – was on the wrong side of the line at St James' Park, receiving a belated (and unwanted) Christmas card.

Duran appeared tightly strung from the outset. The striker was displeased with Digne when the Frenchman refused to let him take a 21st-minute free-kick, and his frustrations got the better of him soon after.

The Colombian sent Schar tumbling as he battled to reach a through ball, and though the wet turf might have been to blame as he slipped and sent his studs raking down his opponent's back, there was then a clear kicking motion from Duran as the pair landed, giving referee Taylor no choice but to dismiss him.

Villa always faced an uphill task from there, though they almost forced a nervy finish when Pau Torres headed just over at 2-0 down, seconds after Murphy had nearly put through his own net.

Things do not get much easier for Unai Emery's men on 30 December, as they face another top-ten side - Brighton and Hove Albion - in their final match before the turn of the year.

Club reports

Newcastle report | Aston Villa report

What the managers said

Eddie Howe: "Yes, it was 11 v 10 but the game was never done at 1-0 and we showed good characteristics, we were adapting with the ball and managed the situation very well. I'm delighted with the win. We were never comfortable until the second goal and I have to complement the players and how well they are playing, it is a good set of results and performances. We looked like we could score at any moment, the attacking players have their confidence back which is great to see and we look in a great place. I love Alexander Isak, he has unbelievable quality. I wouldn't swap him for anyone."

Unai Emery: "We started the first 30 minutes conceding one goal. We made a mistake conceding it. And, of course, here, to start losing is difficult, but we reacted very well. The first 30 minutes, we were more or less feeling comfortable and feeling confidence to continue in our gameplan and try to get something. Circumstances happened in the match which were key for the result. The red card more or less kills the game, it changes it completely."

Next PL fixturesMatch facts

Newcastle have won three consecutive Premier League matches for the first time since September 2023, winning three matches in a row in the competition by 3+ goals for the very first time.

Aston Villa have lost five successive away league matches for the first time since February 2017, last doing so in the Championship under Steve Bruce.

With Gordon's goal today against Aston Villa and Isak’s strike at Ipswich last weekend, Newcastle have scored inside the opening two minutes in back-to-back Premier League matches for the first time.

Watkins hasn't been named in the Villa starting XI in four consecutive league matches for the very first time since joining the club in 2020; meanwhile Duran has made more Premier League starts this December than in the rest of his Aston Villa career combined (three between February 2023 and November 2024).