‘Four is not enough’ – Newcastle United issued brutal verdict after Aston Villa ‘hammering’
Newcastle United were hammered 4-1 by Aston Villa on Saturday evening as their opponents took a big step forward in their hopes of Champions League qualification.
The Magpies fell behind after just 33 when Ollie Watkins’ deflected strike wrong-footed Nick Pope to send Villa Park, which had been so raucous on Tuesday night, into raptures once again. It was the worst possible start for Jason Tindall’s side who would have hoped to quieten the home support early on.
However, after surviving a couple of hairy moments, they were back level before the break when Fabian Schar, who had been the unlucky defender that knocked Watkins’ strike beyond Pope, headed a delicious Harvey Barnes header past Emiliano Martinez to bring his side level. It was, in fairness, a very good goal from the visitors – but that turned out to be the only bright spark on the day.
Three unanswered second half goals from Ian Maatsen, Amadou Onana and an own goal from Dan Burn earned Villa a statement win against the team that remained two points above them after the final whistle. For Newcastle, though, it was a hugely disappointing evening in the Midlands as they saw a five game winning streak in the league come to an end.
Newcastle United issued brutal verdict
Losing to one of their direct rivals for a European space was bad enough, but it was the manner of their defeat, including a frustrating second half collapse, that will worry Tindall as he and his staff try to pick the bones from that loss. For Pat Nevin, who was on duty at Villa Park for BBC Radio Five Live, a 4-1 scoreline actually flattered the Magpies, claiming Villa should have won by a bigger margin.
“It is safe to say that this could have been an absolute hammering, and it still could be. There is plenty of time left,” Nevin said in the aftermath of Onana’s strike which made it four for the hosts.
“They see it now. They feel it now. Villa will think that they can score as many as they like here. Four is not enough for them.”
Nevin’s assessment is hard to disagree with, particularly after Watkins saw a strike rattle the crossbar just moments after his opening goal and then a header hit the post that had Pope beaten all ends up. On a day of very few bright moments for the visitors, though, keeping the scoreline down to just 4-1 will be something that may benefit them come the end of the season.
Whilst they remain above the Villains in the Premier League table tonight, they could find themselves behind either Villa or Manchester City by the time they kick-off against Ipswich Town next weekend with those two sides meeting at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night. Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, face Tottenham Hotspur on Monday knowing that a win would see them leapfrog the Magpies back into third place in the Premier League table.
With five games of the season to go, it’s safe to say that things are heating up in the race for the Champions League.
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