Newcastle United reserved their worst display of the season at Villa Park on a day when they never looked like scoring.
After brilliant displays on the road at Brentford and West Ham, they were no match for Unai Emery's resurgent Aston Villa as their Champions League hopes suffered a major scrape in the second city. Unfortunately, for the Magpies they ran into Villa on their best afternoon of the campaign so far with Ollie Watkins in superb form in front of the watching England boss Gareth Southgate.
Given Newcastle have been relegated at this venue twice in 2009 and 2016, the pain after this defeat felt rather mild in comparison. However, Eddie Howe's internal inquest over where it all went wrong will start immediately.
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Second best in the second city? It was hard to argue against that but defensively Newcastle seemed to go missing.
Watkins helped himself to two goals while Jacob Ramsey also netted on a day in which Villa pummelled the Newcastle goal. It now sets up an enticing home clash with Tottenham Hotspur next weekend but United must ask themselves some tough questions before that encounter at St James' Park.
You'd have to go back almost a decade since Newcastle's last win in the Premier League at Villa Park but Howe's team went into this game in sparkling form with five successive victories under their belt. The Toon head coach made just one change to his starting line-up with Anthony Gordon replacing Sean Longstaff.
Villa made a flying start to the game when Ollie Watkins burst down the left-hand side and got his shot away after outpacing Sven Botman but his low shot struck the base of the post at the Holte End. The Magpies responded on six minutes when Alexander Isak briefly threatened in the box before Villa cleared the danger.
An even better opportunity for Isak followed moments later when Isak weighed up his options before striking venomously at goal with World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez pushing the ball over. But Villa would stun Newcastle on their next attack in this second city battle.
Scotland star John McGinn hung up a right wing cross for Watkins to knock down and England Under-21 star Jacob Ramsey fired home with a low shot to beat Nick Pope. It was a goal that could have been avoided twice in the build-up but no more than Villa deserved after early pressure.
And Villa kept coming as Watkins was afforded another free shot in the box with Pope blocking with his legs on 14 minutes. But the danger still wasn't cleared.
Seconds later, the ball was played back in from the left with Ramsey firing against the crossbar with Unai Emery's side the dominant force in the opening exchanges. Newcastle used both fair means and foul to dent Villa's opening to the game with Fabian Schar cautioned for taking down the rampant Watkins.
There were nine minutes left of the first half when Jacob Murphy crossed in from the right but ball was beyond the reach of Isak. On 36 minutes Tyrone Mings made a timely block to deny Murphy after he had made a fine run down the right-hand side.
Newcastle went in just a goal down at the break with Villa watchers talking up the performance as their "best 45 minutes of the season". Yet United were still very much in the game and the chatter in the Press room at half-time was on who Howe would take off.
However, it emerged that Howe stuck with his opening line-up and handed them another chance to impress at Villa Park. Just like the first half though, Villa hit the ground running and Watkins again threatened early, gliding past Botman, before being denied again by the legs of Pope.
The response from Newcastle saw Murphy find space out wide before firing a low shot across the face of the goal with the effort skimming just past the post. It would be Murphy's last act of the afternoon as Howe made two changes within 10 minutes of the second half.
Murphy and Gordon came off and were replaced by top scorer Almiron and Callum Wilson. Almiron instantly made a contribution but could only fire into the side netting.
Villa fans would be on their feet again just after the hour mark as Watkins raced through and tucked the ball past Pope. But a VAR check resulted in the ball being wiped off as John Brooks made an offside call to hand Newcastle a reprieve.
Newcastle did not heed the warning from Watkins though and three minutes later the ex-Brentford star had his name on the score sheet. Alex Moreno's cross into the box picked out Watkins and he turned Sven Botman before firing through the legs of Burn and beating Pope for a second time.
Howe's response was to make another couple of changes as Longstaff and ex-Villa man Matt Targett came on for Willock and Burn. Yet it was Villa who kept asking the questions with Pope called into action to deny 37-year-old Ashley Young.
Almiron got another glimpse of goal on 77 minutes but his shot was blocked by Mings in front of the Holte End. Howe's last throw of the dice came with 10 minutes left when Elliot Anderson came on for Joelinton.
Villa put the lid on things with five minutes left when Newcastle failed to get the ball out of the defensive area and McGinn easily pushed his way past Targett. His cross was helped on by Emiliano Buendia before Watkins was left with plenty of space to calmly guide home his second.
Newcastle produced a slight response for a consolation goal but were left wanting as Villa players celebrated wildly at the final whistle. The Magpies must dig deep in the next week if they are to get Champions League hopes back on track.
Attendance: 42,055
Referee: John Brooks
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