Barney Ronay was at Villa Park and here’s his report. Thanks for reading this MBM.
Jason Tindall speaks to Sky. “The second half was maybe a step too far for the same group of players … we’ve had three games in six days … a top Villa side … we did OK first half … the second half, around 60 minutes maybe, it was one step too far … we wasn’t happy with the goals we conceded … put that right on the training ground … can’t fault the effort and attitude … five cup finals remaining … prepare and refresh … starting against Ipswich at St James’ Park … the lads don’t mean to make mistakes … we have to analyse the game … come back stronger like we have done in the past.”
He also reports on the pneumonia-stricken Eddie Howe. “He still remains the same … a day-by-day thing … whenever he feels able to speak to me he will do … he is in good hands … the most important thing is he rests … he recovers … get back as quickly as possible to lead the team! [smiles bashfully] … we’ve not been [apart] for more than a day or two in 17 years so I certainly miss him … even more so on days like this! … I’m sure he’ll be really proud of the [team’s] effort.”
That’s a really sweet tribute to his pal.
Unai Emery talks to Sky Sports. “We focused on this match … something very important … fighting for the Champions League position … completely happy with how they responded … now we are in our best moment … the game-plan … good spirit … good physical work for 90 minutes … Ollie Watkins played fantastic … his commitment is always high … this is the level we need … [the subs] made a very good impact … very competitive … Manchester City are performing fantastically … they are not as consistent as they were before … but of course they are still top five … it is our challenge … we are feeling strong and confident but it will be very difficult … but this is the challenge we want.”
Ollie Watkins talks to Sky Sports. “Being out of the team, nobody’s happy to sit on the bench … I found myself out of it for a few games … I was raring to go and wasn’t going to let that opportunity slip … we knew Newcastle were going to go man for man, and me personally I like that … I think I got the better of Fabian Schär today and gave him a tough time … I’ve played against him quite a few times and he’s an unbelievable defender … he could have got the better of me today but that’s football, that’s the way it works and today was my day … we didn’t underestimate them … we knew we’d create chances … [his goal] wasn’t the cleanest of strikes but sometimes the bobbly ones go in … [hitting the woodwork twice] didn’t faze me … I’m glad I could help the team to win … I played 20 minutes against PSG … I won’t lie I was fuming and I let [Emery] know that … but he’s the manager and you have to respect his decision … I’m not one of these players who is happy to sit on the bench … the team played really well but I wanted to be out on the pitch … I’ve played a big part to get to where we are today … I was angry but you have to use that as motivation … we just need to keep winning these games … City away on Tuesday … very tough … we’ve got to win all the game and aim for that Champions League spot … I’m looking forward to when I break [Villa’s Premier League top-scoring] record.”
Jeff Beck soundtracks the Villa Park party. Aston Villa have just thumped a Newcastle side who were flying high on confidence, having won their previous six matches and breaking a 70-year domestic-trophy curse while doing so. Unai Emery’s team were the better team from the very first kick, player of the match Ollie Watkins scoring after 32 seconds. They went to score three more goals, hit the woodwork on three occasions, missed a six-yard sitter, and probably should have been facing ten men for 76 minutes. Newcastle – currently the third-best team in the land according to the only metric that really counts – were undressed. Villa are still outside the Champions League places, but they’re within striking distance now, and they visit fourth-placed Manchester City on Tuesday evening. On this evidence – and a run of ten wins in 11 matches in all competitions – they’ll fancy their chances of getting a result at the home of the champions. They were magnificent tonight.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 32 | 43 | 76 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 32 | 30 | 63 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 33 | 18 | 59 |
| 4 | Man City | 33 | 22 | 58 |
| 5 | Nottm Forest | 32 | 13 | 57 |
| 6 | Aston Villa | 33 | 6 | 57 |
| 7 | Chelsea | 32 | 17 | 54 |
| 8 | AFC Bournemouth | 33 | 12 | 49 |
| 9 | Fulham | 32 | 4 | 48 |
| 10 | Brighton | 33 | 0 | 48 |
| 11 | Brentford | 33 | 6 | 46 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 33 | -4 | 44 |
| 13 | Everton | 33 | -6 | 38 |
| 14 | Man Utd | 32 | -7 | 38 |
| 15 | Tottenham Hotspur | 32 | 11 | 37 |
| 16 | West Ham | 33 | -18 | 36 |
| 17 | Wolverhampton | 32 | -14 | 35 |
| 18 | Ipswich | 32 | -34 | 21 |
| 19 | Leicester | 32 | -45 | 18 |
| 20 | Southampton | 33 | -54 | 11 |
FULL TIME: Aston Villa 4-1 Newcastle United
Aston Villa want that Champions League spot all right!
90 min +5: Guimaraes tries to release Livramento with a pass down the inside-right channel, but gets it all wrong. The ball flies out at great speed for a goal kick. On the touchline, Jason Tindall scrunches his eyes closed. It’s been that sort of day for the Toon.
90 min +4: “There’s no doubt Pongo Waring is the MBM man of the match,” writes MBM co-commentator Simon McMahon. “He would have been proud of that Villa performance, too.”
90 min +3: From the edge of the Newcastle box, Malen drags a shot wide left. Then another wave of Villa attack, as Rashford wedges a pass in from the right for Barkley, who attempts to screech a shot home from a tight angle. The ball flashes across the face of goal and away. Full marks for ambition, because that would have been some goal.
90 min +2: The Villa Park faithful indulge in a few olés as their team pass the ball around the pack. Any old excuse …
90 min +1: During the first of six additional minutes, Sky co-commentator Alan Smith names Ollie Watkins as his player of the match. There can be no argument.
90 min: Gordon worms his way down the left and loops long for Joelinton, who can’t sort his feet out at the far post. Half a chance there. Livramento then shanks into the stand behind.
88 min: Ramsey is booked for a tug on Livramento. Guimaraes, running hot, shoves him in the chest as he tries to take a quick free kick. He’s fortunate not to be awarded a second yellow. Newcastle could easily have had a couple of players sent off today. It’s not been a good day at the office.
87 min: A corner for Newcastle down the left. Gordon takes, and hooks it straight out for a goal kick. That just about sums up their second half. “That’s a cute magpie at the bottom of the stylized NUFC crest,” observes Peter Oh. “As for the Toon getting a result today, I guess that bird has flown.” It is a glorious badge, isn’t it. Memories of Gazza, Chris Waddle, Peter Beardsley, Mirandinha, shipping four-goal leads at QPR, all that.
85 min: Rashford wins the ball down the right, Burn napping, and tries to release Malen into the box. He gets too much on the pass, and Pope is able to smother. Had he weighted that correctly, Malen was one-on-one with the keeper and odds-on to make it five.
83 min: It’s Villa’s turn to make a triple change. Rogers, Kamara and the excellent Watkins, are replaced by Barkley, Rashford and Malen.
82 min: Schar, who could easily have been walking after 14 minutes, finally departs, to be replaced by Targett.
81 min: Joelinton curls dangerously from the right. Willock rises highest at the far stick, but can’t get his header on target. The ball floats harmlessly wide left.
79 min: Ramsey skates in from the left and crashes a shot across Pope and off the right-hand upright. A reminder that Watkins has also hit the woodwork, twice, while Asensio has missed a sitter. This isn’t good for Newcastle as it is; scant consolation, perhaps, but this could have become super-ugly.
77 min: Newcastle, utterly stunned by Villa’s 11-minute triple-blow, make a triple change, replacing Isak, Barnes and Trippier with Wilson, Willock and Krafth.
GOAL! Aston Villa 4-1 Newcastle United (Onana 75)
What an impact the two subs have made! Ramsey with an assist, now Onana with a goal! Tielemans sends Rogers clear down the middle. He’s one on one with Pope, but can’t force the ball past the keeper, who parries well. But the rebound falls to Rogers, who pulls back to Onana, just to the left of the D. Onana creams an unstoppable shot into the top left, and Villa are as rampant as the lion on their crest!
Updated
GOAL! Aston Villa 3-1 Newcastle United (Burn og 73)
Ramsey, only just on, jinks his way down the left, reaches the byline, and looks for Tielemans at the near post with a low cross. Tielemans misses the ball but his presences confuses Burn, who shanks into the bottom-left corner past his equally discombobulated goalkeeper.
Updated
72 min: Isak and Gordon combine briskly down the left to win a corner, but nothing comes of it. Villa then replace McGinn and Asensio with Ramsey and Onana. “But Pongo made it big in 101 Dalmatians,” quips Steve from Salisbury.
70 min: Newcastle have responded well to the Villa goal, in as much as they’re seeing more of the ball. Since going 2-1 down, they’ve made 45 successful passes to Villa’s five.
68 min: Barnes, now switched to the right flank after the substitution, wins a corner off Maatsen. Nothing comes of it. “I got curious as to why Tom Waring acquired the nickname ‘Pongo’ and apparently he was named after a pugilistic cartoon dog,” writes Kári Tulinius. “Pongo the Pup was Pathé’s attempt at getting into the animation game, and while the shorts have old-school charm, you can understand why Pongo didn’t join Mickey, Felix or Betty on the firmament.”
66 min: Newcastle were planning a change anyway, and now they make it, replacing Murphy with Gordon. Murphy’s last act of the evening was a failure to track Maatsen.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Newcastle United (Maatsen 64)
Rogers slips a pass down the inside-left channel for Watkins, who shuttles it on to Maatsen on the overlap. Maatsen enters the box, draws Pope, and smashes a shot across the keeper and into the right-hand side of the net! Lovely finish, and lovely pass from Watkins to tee him up.
Updated
63 min: Guimaraes busies himself on the edge of the Villa box, before forcing the ball wide left to Isak, who attempts to steer a shot across Martinez and in. That’s not happening. Guimaraes ended that run by clanking clumsily into Kamara, and preposterously claims a penalty. He doesn’t get it, and out of frustration fouls Tielemans. Now he’s in the book.
61 min: Kamara passes long down the middle. McGinn meets the bouncing ball as it passes him and lashes goalwards. Pope bats it away. Rogers latches onto the rebound and whacks a long-distance shot straight at the keeper. A good chance for McGinn, that.
60 min: Villa play the free kick short and it’s a complete waste of everyone’s time.
59 min: McGinn is clipped from behind by Guimaraes, who must be testing the referee’s patience now. His fourth foul, two more than anyone else this evening. Just a lecture. A free kick, just to the right of centre.
57 min: Asensio curls onto the head of Mings, who sends a poor header high and wide right.
56 min: Tielemans wins the ball 30 yards from the Newcastle goal and slips Watkins into the box down the left. Schar comes across to block. Villa come again, and Guimaraes is forced to foul Asensio out on the left. Asensio over the free kick. A chance to load the Toon box.
55 min: For the first time this evening, the pace drops. Both teams put a shift in during the week.
53 min: Cash barrels down the right and wins a corner off Livramento. Asensio swings it to the near post. Tielemans eyebrows a header across Pope. It’s heading into the bottom left, but Tonali clears off the line and away. Ah hold on, replays show the header was always sailing wide, but not by a great distance, and Tonali couldn’t take any chances. Fine play all round.
51 min: Guimaraes barges his way past Asensio and into the Villa box down the right. Konsa comes across to block his run. Guimaraes goes over but there’s no foul. Villa counter, McGinn’s persistence down the inside-left channel winning a corner off a wandering Pope. Nothing comes of the set piece. A slightly scrappy start to the half by both sides.
49 min: Tonali wrestles the ball off Tielemans and feeds Barnes down the left, but the cross that comes in is no good. Villa counter, Tielemans looking for Watkins with a wedge down the middle, but Burn reads the danger and heads clear.
47 min: Newcastle are seeing more of the ball during these early second-half moments, though they’re not doing a whole lot with it.
Villa get the second half started. They’re kicking towards Pongo’s ashes in this second half. No changes.
Half-time entertainment … and here are a couple of random, but nevertheless illuminating, snippets about that man Pongo Waring (167 goals in 226 appearances for Villa) from old editions of The Knowledge.
“The story goes while playing for Aston Villa in a match at Villa Park, Waring had gone to fetch the ball that had gone out of play. He then heard someone making an insulting remark, waded into a crowd, punched the offender and then received a round of applause when he returned to the pitch. He was neither sanctioned, sent off, punished by his club/the FA nor was he charged by the police, and remains a legend with Aston Villa supporters to this day.”
“There is one visitor who scored more than eight goals at Old Trafford - the magnificently named Aston Villa legend, Tom ‘Pongo’ Waring. Pongo scored twice in 2-2 draw on New Year’s Day 1929 and two more in a 3-2 win in March 1930. The following season, he scored all four in a 4-3 opening day victory on his way to becoming the league’s top scorer with 49 goals in the 1930-31 campaign. Manchester United were relegated that season, so Pongo was unable to add to his eight-goal Old Trafford tally with Villa. However, after transferring to Barnsley, Pongo scored another at Old Trafford in a 1-1 draw on Boxing Day 1935 in a Division Two clash. So that’s nine Old Trafford goals against Manchester United for Pongo Waring.”
HALF TIME: Aston Villa 1-1 Newcastle United
That was good fun from the get-go. A feeling that there’s more goals in this.
45 min +2: Livramento is becoming quite the presence out on the Newcastle left. He jinks his way down the flank before teeing up Guimaraes, who leans back and hoicks a wasteful shot over the bar. “Looking forward to more of the Jarred Gillet Experience in the second half,” writes Chris Paraskevas. “Nowhere near the required level. So inconsistent from game-to-game and within games. Books players when he feels like it.”
45 min +1: The first of three additional minutes.
45 min: Watkins is causing Schar all sorts of bother. He drops a shoulder in an attempt to skin him on the outside. He goes over the defender’s leg and claims a penalty, but the referee’s quite correctly not interested. There was little to no contact, and if there was any, it was Watkins attempting to initiate it.
44 min: Isak crosses from the right. Livramento attempts to curl a precise sidefoot back across Martinez and into the bottom right. It’s blocked. Tonali then tries to round the keeper on the left, but slips and Martinez is able to claim.
43 min: Martinez releases Watkins down the inside-left channel with a raking long pass. Watkins teases Schar by twisting him this way and that, but upon entering the box dribbles a poor effort across Pope and harmlessly wide right. Somewhere in the multiverse, Watkins has bagged four goals already.
41 min: Rogers sashays past Murphy with a delicious shift of the ball from right foot to left. Joelinton, sensing things opening up in front of the Villa man, clips him from behind and goes into the book.
39 min: Villa push Newcastle back for the first time in a while. There’s no way through an organised defence, though. In desperation, Tielemans, quarterbacking from deep, tries to ping Cash clear down the right but wellies the ball straight out for a goal kick.
37 min: Rogers advances down the left. He’s not challenged, so upon reaching the edge of the box he chances his arm with a shot. His powerful effort is turned around the post by Pope. That’s Villa’s first shot on target since Watkins’ 32-second effort, a stat that doesn’t quite tell the whole story of this match, given Watkins has subsequently hit the woodwork twice.
36 min: Isak tries to burst into space down the right but is cynically – albeit lightly – tugged on the shoulder by Tielemans. The referee doesn’t whistle. Isak frowns quite a lot.
35 min: Tonali spins in from the left and curls a low shot towards the bottom right. Martinez, initially unsighted, turns it around the post late. It might have taken a little deflection en route off Konsa, too, so that’s a fine reaction save. Burn meets the resulting corner with a weak header that flaps miles wide right.
33 min: A corner now for Villa, won by McGinn down the left. This game is nothing if not end-to-end. Tielemans whips towards the near post but Joelinton bashes a header clear. Both teams on the front foot.
31 min: Livramento wins another corner down the left. Trippier swings it straight down Martinez’s throat.
29 min: Livramento works his way down the left and earns a corner in front of the Holte End. Nothing comes of it. Speaking of that part of the stadium, and the goalscoring legend Pongo Waring, here’s Tony Hughes: “His name was Tom, and his ashes are scattered around the goal at the Holte End of Villa Park.”
27 min: A free kick for Villa out on the left. Asensio swings it in. Watkins meets it with a fine header, aiming for the top-left corner … only to hit the woodwork again! This one crashes off the upright. Watkins has been an inch here, and another inch there, away from a first-half hat-trick!
25 min: Cash diddles his way down the right and swings a cross into the mixer, looking for Tielemans. Easy for Pope. Meanwhile more on Pongo Waring. “An outstanding name,” according to Espen B. “Straight out of a PG Woodhouse novel.”
23 min: Martinez may have done better with that Schar header, which went between his legs at his near post. Not the greatest look for a keeper, especially after the mistake that led to PSG’s first goal during the week. “I think every football club in the country would be improved by having a Pongo on their books,” opines Simon McMahon. “I mean, if England had had a Pongo Owen, or Pongo Rooney, or Pongo Kane, they’d have won the World Cup umpteen times by now.”
21 min: Asensio appears in the mood to make good that mistake, and after tangling with Burn, takes a quick free kick to send Villa on the attack. McGinn gains ground down the left and crosses, but there’s nobody in claret in there and Pope claims. This will not end 1-1. Not the way these lads are going at it.
19 min: Villa should be in the lead again! Maatsen reaches the byline down the left and cuts back for Asensio, who is in a pocket of space, six yards out! He shapes to sidefoot home, but lets the ball bobble under his boot and the shot pings harmlessly wide right! This is great fun. Unai Emery doesn’t look particularly impressed, however.
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-1 Newcastle United (Schar 18)
Schar, who arguably shouldn’t be on the pitch, draws Newcastle level! Barnes teases Kamara down the left and curls long. Schar meets the cross at the far post, his downward header squirting between Martinez’s legs and in!
Updated
16 min: From the corner on the right, Kamara has a dig from distance. It’s deflected wide left, and from the next corner Maatsen skies an effort high into the stand behind the goal. Villa by far the better team so far.
15 min: The resulting free kick is chipped down the right for Cash, who hits a cross-cum-shot from the tightest of angles. The ball pings off Pope’s chest and nearly flies into the net, but sails wide for a corner.
14 min: Konsa shovels a pass down the middle for Watkins, who was looking to tear clear when grabbed by Schar. The Newcastle man goes into the book. That could easily have been a red card for denial of a goalscoring opportunity. VAR isn’t minded to overturn the on-field decision. Some very odd calls being made here.
12 min: VAR also had a look at a tangle between Trippier and Watkins, the former accidentally grazing the prone latter with his studs. But the referee decides there’s nothing sinister in it.
Updated
10 min: Rogers is scythed down by a late Burn challenge, but Villa are on the attack so the whistle doesn’t go. McGinn crosses from the left but Asensio clatters Pope and that’s a free kick. No idea why Burn then doesn’t go into the book for that very poor tackle, but here we are.
9 min: Guimaraes has the opportunity to slide Isak into the Villa box down the right, but overcooks the pass and sends the ball out for a goal kick.
8 min: Kamara prevents Joelinton from busting into space in the centre circle, a hand around the waist from behind. He’s lucky not to go into the book. Some referees simply don’t like dishing cards out so soon.
7 min: Newcastle need to settle, and do so with a bit of sterile possession in the middle of the park.
5 min: Watkins, perhaps in the mood to prove a point after not being started against PSG, dribbles hard down the inside-left channel, enters the box, and sends a rising shot crashing off the underside of the crossbar! Pope beaten all ends up, but it rebounds clear. That was inches away from planting into the top-left corner. What a double whammy that would have been!
Updated
4 min: Newcastle respond by winning a corner, from which Barnes has a shot amid a penalty-box melee. It’s blocked.
2 min: That goal’s made Watkins Villa’s joint leading goalscorer in Premier League history. He’s level on 74 goals with Gabriel Agbonlahor. The likes of Billy Walker, Harry Hampton, Pongo Waring and Peter McParland airbrushed out of this particular version of history.
Updated
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-0 Newcastle United (Watkins 32 sec)
McGinn tries to release Watkins down the left. Tonali comes across to put a stop to his gallop. But Tonali’s clearance only goes to Tielemans, who immediately returns it down the inside-left channel to Watkins. He shoots. A deflection off Schar sends the ball into the bottom left, past the wrong-footed, and rooted, Pope. What a start!
Updated
Newcastle get the ball rolling. They’re kicking towards the Holte End in this first half.
The teams are out! Aston Villa are in their famous claret and blue, while Newcastle wear third-choice white shirts with green kecks. Newcastle are on a good run against Villa, having won five of the last six Premier League meetings to the aggregate tune of 16-2. Villa did win the other match 3-0, though, on their own turf in 2023, so that should give them some succour. We’ll be off in a minute!
The ever-polite Unai Emery talks to Sky Sports. “Good afternoon … or good evening! … it’s a most important match … more or less everything we did before was important but we are in a key moment … we face Newcastle who are having a brilliant season … we have to try to be close to them … for a Champions League position … or Europa League … our highest challenge is now.”
The 3pms have finished, and the results are a mixed bag for Champions League dreamers Villa and Newcastle. Bournemouth dropped a couple of points against ten-man Crystal Palace, while Brighton went down 4-2 at Brentford. However Manchester City scored a couple of late goals at Everton to consolidate their membership of the top five. Rob Smyth has all the details in this afternoon’s edition of your super soaraway Clockwatch. Here’s how the table looks as a result.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 32 | 43 | 76 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 32 | 30 | 63 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 32 | 21 | 59 |
| 4 | Man City | 33 | 22 | 58 |
| 5 | Nottm Forest | 32 | 13 | 57 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 32 | 17 | 54 |
| 7 | Aston Villa | 32 | 3 | 54 |
| 8 | AFC Bournemouth | 33 | 12 | 49 |
| 9 | Fulham | 32 | 4 | 48 |
| 10 | Brighton | 33 | 0 | 48 |
| 11 | Brentford | 33 | 6 | 46 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 33 | -4 | 44 |
| 13 | Everton | 33 | -6 | 38 |
| 14 | Man Utd | 32 | -7 | 38 |
| 15 | Tottenham Hotspur | 32 | 11 | 37 |
| 16 | West Ham | 33 | -18 | 36 |
| 17 | Wolverhampton | 32 | -14 | 35 |
| 18 | Ipswich | 32 | -34 | 21 |
| 19 | Leicester | 32 | -45 | 18 |
| 20 | Southampton | 33 | -54 | 11 |
Jason Tindall, standing in for the stricken Eddie Howe, talks to Sky. “I think the team picks itself … individuals and the team are delivering, so: unchanged! … testament to Harvey Barnes for the time he’s spent out of the team, he’s stayed focused … it’s a very tough game for us today … one of the best managers that’s out there … two teams in very good form … aggressive football … it should be a good spectacle.”
This is a rerun of both the 1905 and 1924 FA Cup finals. Aston Villa won the former 2-0, denying Newcastle a league-and-cup double, while Newcastle repaid the favour by exactly the same scoreline 19 years later. No real reason to mention either of those games, other than an excuse to rummage around the Observer archive, because, well, y’know. Here’s a splash of colour from the latter affair, played exactly 100 years and 51 weeks ago today.
“Newcastle United won the Football Association Cup for the second time by defeating Aston Villa by two goals to none. Billy Cowan and Stan Seymour scored the two goals in just over a minute, but the losing team had eighty percent of the play throughout.
“From an early hour yesterday morning the neighbourhood of King’s Cross and Euston was crowded with thousands of men and women who, it was obvious from their accent, had come either from Newcastle or Birmingham to witness the match. The trains began to arrive from Newcastle at King’s Cross as early as 2.55 in the morning. Fortunately a considerable amount of accommodation was available in the waiting rooms, while many of the enthusiasts found the seats on the platforms handy for a nap.
“From an early hour all roads seemed to lead to the stadium. The visitors from the North, as well as thousands of Londoners interested in the great contest, travelled by charabanc, by bus and by train … there was none of the disorder which occurred at the entrance to the stadium last year.
“Cup football is notoriously sensational, but to describe yesterday’s final as unusually dramatic can convey but slightly to those who were not there the scene which prevailed when, a few minutes from time, a lightning Newcastle raid led to a goal – and the extinguishing of Aston Villa.
“In a sweeping dash, the Newcastle forwards suddenly found a way past the men who hitherto had valiantly baulked them. Cowan scored. A half-minute later and the Villa should have equalised. Straight back bore the men from the North, and Seymour, slipping past a defence which had not recovered from a stunning blow, again had the ball in the net. The first goal, however, had settled the match, which will go down in football history as the game which saw the winners play a reserve goalkeeper (Bill Bradley) whose sterling work paved the way for his side’s triumph.”
Villa make four changes to their starting line-up in the wake of their brave but ultimately futile 3-2 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday evening. Ian Maatsen, who nearly saved the day with a volley blocked on the line deep in injury time, is rewarded for his efforts with a start, along with Tyrone Mings, Marco Asensio and Ollie Watkins. Lucas Digne, Marcus Rashford and Amadou Onana drop to the bench, while Pau Torres misses out altogether.
Newcastle meanwhile are in If It Ain’t Broke mode. They thumped Crystal Palace 5-0 in the Premier League on Wednesday, so name exactly the same starting XI.
The teams
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen, Kamara, Tielemans, McGinn, Asensio, Rogers, Watkins.
Subs: Olsen, Disasi, Barkley, Rashford, Digne, Garcia, Malen, Onana, Ramsey.
Newcastle United: Pope, Trippier, Schar, Burn, Livramento, Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton, Murphy, Isak, Barnes.
Subs: Dubravka, Wilson, Gordon, Targett, Krafth, Osula, Willock, Longstaff, Miley.
Preamble
Both of these famous old clubs really enjoyed their recent taste of Champions League football; both of these famous old clubs fancy some more. It’s third versus seventh with five points between them and fifth place at the very least the goal. And if that doesn’t whet the appetite enough, Villa have won nine of their last ten in all competitions, while Newcastle are on a six-game winning tear that includes the claiming of their first domestic trophy in 70 years. This promises to be a cracker. Buckle up! Or buckle in. Probably best to do both. Kick-off is at 5.30pm BST. It’s on!
