Aston Villa 4-1 Newcastle United

Aston Villa secured a fifth consecutive Premier League victory in style at Villa Park on Saturday night, with an emphatic 4-1 triumph over fellow top five hopefuls Newcastle United.

Ollie Watkins’ goal inside the opening 33 seconds gave Unai Emery’s men a perfect start to affairs, and drew the 29-year-old level with Gabby Agbonlahor at the top of Villa’s list of all-time Premier League goalscorers, before Fabian Schär’s header restored parity and sent the two sides in at the break level.

But a marvellous second-half performance from the home side saw them notch a further three unanswered goals to stretch their unbeaten run in B6 to 19 matches in all competitions, with wins in their last six of those games. 

Ian Maatsen struck his first Premier League goal just after the hour, before substitutes Jacob Ramsey and Amadou Onana put the cherry on the cake, the former forcing an own goal from Dan Burn before the Belgian midfielder curled into the top corner two minutes later to make sure of an impressive three points.

The win signified the first time Villa had put together five straight victories in the league since April 2023, and came against a Newcastle side who had won eight of their last 10 away games – the third-best record in the league this season – ending their run of six successive wins in all competitions.

Watkins was reinstated to the starting XI having started Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg clash with PSG on the bench, and needed just 33 seconds to justify his selection, as the Villans made an ideal start.

The England forward hassled Sandro Tonali into clearing only as far as Youri Tielemans, who picked out Watkins with a typically inch-perfect pass into the area. Villa’s No.11 did the rest, cutting inside and sending an effort goalwards which deflected off Fabian Schär to wrongfoot Nick Pope and put Villa in front.

The goal saw Watkins draw level with Agbonlahor at the top of the club’s all-time list of Premier League goalscorers with 74, and was the first time Villa had scored in the opening minute of a Premier League affair since April 2021.

A threat throughout, Watkins is also now the first player in the club's history to net 15 or more goals in three successive Premier League campaigns, and he nearly went one better and smashed Agbonlahor's record just four minutes later, when chopping onto his left foot and lashing an effort against the crossbar at Pope’s near post.

Emery’s men were on top in the opening stages, first to every ball and pressing their visitors high up the field, but it was the Magpies who would strike the next blow, equalising against the run of play on 18 minutes when Harvey Barnes’ deep cross to the back post was nodded home by Schär through the legs of Emi Martínez. 

Villa were immediately back on the offensive looking to edge themselves in front once more, and Marco Asensio might have done better when scuffing Maatsen’s cross wide of the far post from six yards out.

Watkins looked a danger inside the area on every occasion the hosts came forward, but was to again be denied a second by the woodwork just before the half-hour mark, when he could only guide a powerful header from Asensio’s free-kick delivery against the near post, as the Villans maintained their pursuit of another goal.

But by this point, the game was a much more open, end-to-end affair. Newcastle’s response had settled them, and they had started to enjoy more territory. Martínez had to be alert and at full-stretch to tip Tonali’s goalbound effort around the post from the edge of the area.

Morgan Rogers tested Pope at his near post as the break approached, before the England goalkeeper was pleased to see his defence flooding the six-yard box when he fumbled the resulting corner, ensuring Villa were denied a sight at goal.

Martínez’s pinpoint passing out from the back was putting the Toon backline under pressure, this time allowing Watkins to run at Schär and get a shot away, but he could only drag his effort wide of the far post, as time was called on a pulsating opening period.

The Villans began the second half in similar fashion to the first, and were proving the aggressors in their hunt for the game’s third goal, which they came close to finding within seven minutes of the restart when Tielemans met Asensio’s corner, but his flicked header was hacked off the line by Tonali.

The hosts kept coming, and captain John McGinn was presented with a decent opportunity to net in his third straight game when found over the top by Boubacar Kamara, though he could only fire straight at Pope, who was also on hand to hold Rogers’ follow-up from the edge of the area.

Martínez had to be alert at the other end to get down and keep hold of Newcastle top scorer Alexander Isak’s skidding low effort, but Villa’s persistence paid minutes later, when Maatsen sent the Holte End into raptures just after the hour. 

The ever-lively Watkins was again involved, picking out the run of the energetic Dutchman from left-back, playing a pinpoint pass into his path which Maatsen steered expertly into the far corner for his second goal in claret and blue, and first in the Premier League.

Emery shuffled his pack as the game ticked into its final 20 minutes, introducing Onana and Ramsey in place of Asenio and McGinn. And the changes proved a stroke of genius from the Villa boss, as his side took the encounter away from their visitors.

First, just seconds after entering the action, Ramsey sent a menacing ball across goal which was missed at the near post by Tielemans, but turned into his own net by the unfortunate Burn.

And two minutes later, things got better still for the hosts, as they established an unassailable three-goal advantage. Kamara played Rogers in inside the area and, despite turning away from his marker, he saw his effort beaten away by Pope. The visiting ‘keeper could do nothing however as Rogers recycled the ball and teed up the second of Emery’s substitutes, Onana, who sent an unstoppable effort soaring into the top corner from the edge of the area.

The Villans were enjoying themselves in what was proving a sumptuous second-half showing, and Ramsey almost added to the assist he had already registered since coming off the bench 11 minutes from time, curling an effort against the post from just inside the area, as substitute Donyell Malen also went close with a couple of efforts as the end approached. 

Newcastle rallied throughout the final 10 minutes in B6, looking for a way back into the game, but the home defence stood firm and resolute to round off a successful afternoon and tie up an impressive victory to send them just two points off third in the Premier League table ahead of Tuesday night’s trip to Manchester City.