Two goals in four first-half minutes were enough to see Aston Villa record their fourth Premier League victory of the season against Newcastle United on Monday evening.
Conor Hourihane gave the hosts the lead at Villa Park as he combined with Jack Grealish from a free-kick and scored with a wonderful strike. Anwar El Ghazi then got on the end of another set-piece from the Irish midfielder. The Villans had some great chances to extend that advantage after the break but missed a hatful of wonderful opportunities. Newcastle were not able to produce an impressive comeback though, allowing the hosts to stroll away with the three points.
Slow start at Villa Park
The match was relatively low on quality in the opening stages and El Ghazi had probably the best chance of the first quarter as he just failed to stretch enough to turn in Matt Targett’s low ball.
Brazilian Douglas Luiz also had a great effort from range but Martin Dubravka managed to tip the ball over the crossbar.
Hourihane blasts hosts ahead
A moment of magic on half an hour then burst the game into life though. Awarded a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area, Hourihane and Jack Grealish produced a clever routine between them before the former smacked the ball past Dubravka and into the net.
The Ireland international then turned provider as he produced another fantastic effort from a free-kick, delivering the ball right onto the foot of El Ghazi. The Dutchman then had the easy task of hammering the ball into the roof of the net just yards from goal.
Despite the hosts’ dominance, they could have had their lead cut in half just before the break as Federico Fernandez got free from a corner. A stunning save from Tom Heaton preserved their two-goal cushion though.
Villla waste chances late on
Newcastle got over their horrendous showing in the first-half and resumed much better after the break, with Allan Saint-Maximin and Joelinton having efforts blocked behind. Ezri Konsa should really have wrapped up the three points for Villa though as he somehow got free from a corner only to put his header straight at Dubravka.
There were more chances for Dean Smith’s troops to finish the game throughout the second-half but Jack Grealish could only lift the ball over the bar, with John McGinn also not clinical enough to notch a third. Wesley also had a guilt-edged opportunity only yards from goal but he stabbed his effort straight at Dubravka.
With the clock ticking down, Villa kept the Toon at arms length, with only pot-shots potentially troubling Heaton in the home goal in the closing stages as the three points remained at Villa Park.
Final Thoughts
There wasn’t a huge amount of difference between the two sides in the second city besides Villa’s midfield. Conor Hourihane and Jack Grealish dovetailed brilliantly throughout the match and were a huge reason behind the hosts getting what could be a precious victory. As a result of the three points, Villa rise to 15th and four points above the relegation zone, whilst Newcastle sit one place and one point better off.
Match Report
Aston Villa: Heaton (7); Targett (6), Mings (6), Konsa (6), Guilbert (7); Hourihane (8) (Lansbury (N/A), 90+2′), Luiz (7), McGinn (7); Grealish (8), El Ghazi (7), Wesley (6).
Newcastle United: Dubravka (7); Willems (6), Dummett (5) (Carroll (5), 63′), Clark (5), Fernandez (5), Yedlin (6); Saint-Maximin (6), Shelvey (5), Hayden (5), Almiron (5) (Atsu (N/A), 79′); Joelinton (4) (Gayle (5), 72′).
Goals: Hourihane (32′), El Ghazi (36′)
Referee: Lee Mason
Yellow Cards: Fernandez (35′), Wesley (80′)
Red Cards: N/A
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