Newcastle 3 Aston Villa 0: Toon breeze past ten-man Villa to seal huge win in battle for Champions League spot
NEWCASTLE UNITED’S fantastic festive form continued as Jhon Duran made Unai Emery’s naughty list.
The Aston Villa striker was looking to score for the fifth straight game but instead his afternoon lasted just over half an hour before he blew his team’s chances of victory.
The Colombian maverick was sent off for violent conduct following a naughty stamp on Fabian Schar to leave Villa without a win at St James’ Park since 2005.
However, fellow top-four rivals the Magpies are absolutely flying after a fourth-consecutive victory, in particular their Swedish striker Alexander Isak.
He scored again to make it 11 in 12 for him after Anthony Gordon gave them a dream start, and Joelinton put the cherry on the cake at the death.
The omens of Emery’s team ending 19 years of hurt on Tyneside quickly evaporated.
Just 80 seconds were on the clock before Gordon almost caused the roof to come off the Gallowgate after Toon’s midfield three all combined well.
Sandro Tonali won back possession deep in his half and played it short to Bruno Guimaraes, who in turn passed it on to Joelinton.
His fellow Brazilian charged forwards as the Villa defence continued to back off him, allowing him to slip in left to Gordon, who cut inside Matty Cash and curled it straight across Emiliano Martinez and into the top corner.
Jacob Murphy dragged one wide while Gordon failed to connect properly with another effort as Newcastle looked to blow the visitors out of the water.
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However, Villa under Emery are made of stern stuff these days, and it was their midfield that soon began to take charge after seeing out the early storm.
Lucas Digne’s free-kick forced Martin Drubravka into a flying stop but the Magpies retaliated with Kieran Trippier, enjoying a rare start in place of the ill Tino Livramento, making Martinez work from his own set-piece strike.
It was turning into a brilliant contest – until Duran’s moment of madness left Villa right up against it.
He had been niggling with Fabian Schar throughout the opening half hour when he tried to snidely stamp on him.
The Newcastle defender was shepherding the ball away from danger under pressure from the South American forward when it exploded.
But as Schar went to ground on his front, Duran looked to hurdle him but in a strange, late motion, his left foot caught the defender’s hamstring while his right stamped straight along his rival’s lower back and side.
Toon players raced over as their team-mate writhed in pain and ref Anthony Taylor issuing him a red card, with Duran volleying a water bottle for good measure as he eventually left the pitch.
Tensions were rising on and off the pitch as Emery and his staff became more and more irritated by Eddie Howe’s notorious No2 Jason Tindall, including him “shushing” them.
And that boiled over at the half-time break when Tindall was forced to start the second period sat in the press box in the Milburn Stand before scurrying elsewhere after he and a Villa analyst were sent off for a confrontation in the tunnel.
That could’ve started when Joelinton’s flying arm sent Morgan Rogers crashing to the ground, a challenge that earned one of three yellow cards in the opening 45, but the visitors obviously had wanted more.
Away from all of the brewing trouble, Martinez also made an incredible one-handed save to keep his team in it when pushing away Tonali’s shot from eight yards.
That left it still all to play for after the break as Emery went for it, replacing Youri Tielemans with Ollie Watkins, but their hopes did not last long.
Isak, who had just headed into the side-netting, continued his purple patch.
The lovely move started with Bruno beautifully slipping in Murphy down the right, and he squared it for the Swede to simply tap in.
The hotshot was denied a brace moments later after just straying offside as Newcastle continued to swarm forward and turn the screw.
Murphy should have made it three but instead went for power instead of precision and whacked a strike off the bar.
And Villa were spared even further embarrassment late on when Ezri Konsa’s clearance went into Bruno’s behind and deflected in from two yards out – but VAR spotted it came off the Toon skipper’s arm.
But the third did come in the final seconds as Joelinton collected the ball, drove forward before slamming home from just outside the box.
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