John Townley’s Aston Villa player ratings as 9s and 8s awarded after 4-1 thrashing of Newcastle
Aston Villa boosted their hopes of qualifying for Champions League football by thrashing third-placed Newcastle United 4–1 at Villa Park.
The victory extended Villa’s unbeaten home run in all competitions to 19 matches—their longest streak since a 20-game run between April 1990 and February 1991.
Villa made a perfect start, with Ollie Watkins marking his return to the starting XI by scoring inside the first minute. The goal equalled Gabby Agbonlahor’s Premier League scoring record for the club. Watkins’ effort from inside the box deflected past Nick Pope, who was helpless in the Newcastle goal.
He nearly doubled Villa’s lead shortly after, rattling the bar with a shot from the left side. In the 14th minute, Watkins caused more havoc when Fabian Schär—Newcastle’s last man—pulled him back to deny what looked like a clear goalscoring opportunity. However, referee Jarred Gillett saw it differently, showing Schär only a yellow card instead of a red.
The Swiss defender then equalised soon after, heading in Harvey Barnes’ cross at the back post.
At the other end, Villa should have restored their lead immediately, but Marco Asensio failed to convert Ian Maatsen’s cross. Watkins struck the woodwork again in the 27th minute, heading Asensio’s free-kick delivery onto the post.
On the stroke of half-time, Watkins was tripped in the box by Schär, but referee Gillett judged there wasn’t enough contact to award a penalty.
In the 64th minute, Watkins spotted Maatsen’s run to his left and played the ball into his path. The full-back finished calmly past Pope to restore Villa’s lead.
Jacob Ramsey and Amadou Onana were introduced in the 72nd minute and played key roles in helping Villa extend their advantage.
Ramsey’s ball across the box was turned into the Newcastle net by Dan Burn, before Onana fired home past Pope to seal an emphatic win for the hosts.
Player ratings
Emi Martinez
Martinez could have done better to prevent Newcastle’s equaliser but made a strong save to deny Sandro Tonali from distance later in the first half. 7
Matty Cash
Cash picked the right moments to bomb forward or sit back against Barnes. Another strong display from the right-back 8
Ezri Konsa
Konsa played Schär onside as Newcastle recycled a set-piece that Villa had initially defended, but he and Mings both did a solid job on Isak. 8
Tyrone Mings
Mings returned to the starting XI after Pau Torres was preferred in the win over PSG. He dealt with Isak excellently. 9
Ian Maatsen
Maatsen was caught in a mismatch when trying to defend Schär at the back post. The full-back scampered up the left flank to good effect and should have registered an assist when he rolled the ball across the face of goal for Asensio, but the Spaniard failed to convert. Maatsen then put Villa back in the lead with a composed finish past Pope in the 64th minute. 9
Boubacar Kamara
Kamara was outstanding throughout, tracking Tino Livramento’s runs up the wing and snapping into tackles in midfield. He played McGinn through with an exceptional pass just after the hour mark, but the captain’s effort was saved by Pope. 9
Youri Tielemans
Tielemans has started every Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League game for Villa this season, amassing over 4,200 minutes of football. After assisting Watkins’ early goal, the Belgian has now registered a goal involvement in each of his last five appearances. 9
Morgan Rogers
Newcastle frustrated Rogers for the first half-hour before he switched to the left side. He fired a shot at Pope in the 36th minute and then beat the entire Newcastle midfield with a surging run, which led to a yellow card for Joelinton. 8
Marco Asensio
Asensio should have restored Villa’s lead just after Schär’s equaliser but missed a golden chance from close range after being picked out by Maatsen. 8
John McGinn
McGinn was a warrior once again tonight. He won a big 50/50 duel against Schär in the 12th minute, earning a huge roar from the home fans. 8
Ollie Watkins
Watkins gave Villa the perfect start, then struck the bar and A post in the first half. He also assisted Maatsen for Villa’s second of the night in a superb performance from the centre-forward. Utterly unplayable. 9*
SUBS
Jacob Ramsey (for Asensio, 72′): Hit the post a few minutes after his cross was turned in by Burn to make it 3-1. 8
Amadou Onana (for McGinn, 72′): Onana added physicality and energy to the midfield at the perfect time. He didn’t half take his goal well too! 8
Donyell Malen (for Rogers, 82′): N/A
Marcus Rashford (for Watkins, 82′): N/A
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