Newcastle United vs Aston Villa. Premier League.
St James' Park, NewcastleAttendance52,233.
Report and free match highlights as Callum Wilson's double, a Joelinton strike and Miguel Almiron's curling effort give Newcastle a deserved 4-0 win over sorry Aston Villa in Aaron Danks' final game in charge before Unai Emery takes charge
Sunday 30 October 2022 07:28, UK
Aston Villa showed incoming manager Unai Emery the scale of the job on his hands as they were thrashed 4-0 by Newcastle at St James' Park.
Emery was not in the stands in the north east as Aaron Danks remained in the dugout, with his caretaker spell ending on a sour note despite a bright first half from the visitors.
The visitors gave as good as they got in a stop-start opening period including 10 minutes of added time, owing to a number of injury stoppages, before Ashley Young's handball late on gave Callum Wilson the chance to open the scoring from the penalty spot, and he duly obliged.
The second half proved as contrasting as they come with Newcastle scintillating and Villa calamitous. A training-ground more from a corner saw Wilson nod in a second before Joelinton added a third three minutes later to end the game as a contest.
Newcastle continued to cut their visitors apart at will with Wilson and Jacob Murphy both denied by the woodwork, while Miguel Almiron continued his sparkling form with a wonderful curling effort from 25 yards to add a real shine to a comprehensive home win.
Emery will still have the luxury of taking over a side outside the bottom three but will be concerned after the manner of their collapse, while Newcastle's win, coupled with results elsewhere, sees them open up a three-point gap inside the top four.
The last time Villa had won a Premier League game at St James' Park, Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer were both sent off for fighting - and the fact both players have been retired for almost a decade was an indicator of what an unhappy hunting ground it has proven.
But after a thumping 4-0 win over Brentford last weekend, Danks' team arrived full of confidence, and held Newcastle at bay for most of the first half, with both sides' lack of rhythm not helped by two lengthy stoppages for injuries to Emiliano Martinez, who was eventually substituted with concussion after taking a knee to the face from Tyrone Mings.
Almiron manufactured what looked likely to be the only chance of note before the interval when latching onto Kieran Trippier's through ball and pulling a fine stop from substitute goalkeeper Robin Olsen, but Young's inadvertent raised arm from the Paraguayan's next effort minutes later soon undid all their good work.
Wilson sent Olsen the wrong way from 12 yards with Gareth Southgate watching on from the stands, before Villa went in at the break very much still in the game - but well out of it within 11 minutes of the restart.
Not long into the second half, Almiron's run to support Trippier from a corner was untracked and after a quick one-two, Wilson took advantage of some equally poor marking to guide a pinpoint cross just inside the far post.
Villa's defence fell apart from that moment on. Wilson drove at Mings and Ezri Konsa moments after the next kick-off with no sign of a challenge, and after exchanging passes with Joe Willock, saw his effort saved straight into the path of Joelinton, who fired into an empty net.
Almiron's performance always threatened another goal to add to his growing collection and he got it midway through the second half, driving inside from Wilson's pass before arching the ball past a helpless Olsen from outside the box, as Villa's good work from last weekend's win was rapidly undone.
It could have been more with Wilson denied by the woodwork and a last-ditch challenge from Mings, while Murphy was inches away from adding a fifth himself.
Newcastle's desire to add to their already significant tally said a lot about how far they have come, while Villa's collapse said just as much about how far they still have to go. New manager Emery has a job on his hands at Villa Park.
It took more than 15 minutes after Martinez took Mings' knee to the face that he was finally substituted at the end of a second visit from the Aston Villa doctor, leading Sky Sports' Kris Boyd to question why he had been left on so long given the protocols around head injuries.
"If you ask a player, he's always going to say he's alright and not want to come off," he said. "He's not right, there's no doubt about it, it's a head knock and he should not have been allowed to carry on."
Asked why Martinez had stayed on the pitch, caretaker boss Aaron Danks said: "We've got very professional medical staff, they had been on and assessed him and he was okay to continue.
"Then, obviously things have changed or there was a delayed onset of something that has meant that he's had to come off.
"Emi is fine. He's showered, dressed, changed, walking around talking to everybody, so he seems fine in himself at the moment. Obviously the club will monitor that and they will take care of him in the coming hours and days to make sure that that continues."
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe told Sky Sports:
"It was very bitty first half, stop-start, we never got into a rhythm really because the game didn't allow us to do it.
"We were outstanding in the second half, up there with one of the best performances of the season, free-flowing football, attacking football and a great performance.
"I'm really pleased for Callum, the second goal was a typical goalscorer's goal and penalties are never easy. He was at the heart of a lot of our good play today.
"It was an outstanding finish from Almiron, he used the defender's body to curl it round the goalkeeper, it was a pinpoint goal.
"You want the supporters to enjoy the moment and they will. They were outstanding today, they really did help us, and I hope they enjoy tonight and express themselves. For me and the players, we just need to be more controlled and look to next week."
On Callum Wilson: "I'm really pleased for Callum today. I'm not too aware what the players know and what they don't know about who comes and who's watching them. I almost think it's better, you just play your normal game
and you're not overthinking too much.
"Callum is, of course, desperate to be involved with England, it's one of his childhood dreams, so he will be really pleased that he played so well. He scored the two goals and his overall performance was very good."
Aston Villa caretaker manager Aaron Danks told Sky Sports:
"It's really disappointing today. The first half was an even contest, we created some chances and they had some moments as well.
"The penalty gave them some belief, and we had to go in and find a way of attacking the second half. We tried to tweak one or two things, but they had a really good spell of momentum where they punished us.
"There's lots of sombre heads in the dressing room, so there's nothing we can do but pick ourselves up and get ready for next week.
"I'll always look back as the goals as a coach, they've scored a fantastic finish from distance, but you look at the distances between our team and think we're a bit too open there.
"Of course, there's things we could've done better - but you come to a place like St James' Park, a team that's flying, you know some of the game they'll have momentum and you just have to find a way to stay in the game, but unfortunately it got away from us."
Sky Sports' Ron Walker:
More noteworthy than Newcastle winning at home - again - was the performance of Wilson, especially with England manager Gareth Southgate watching on. The one thing denying him the perfect late claim for a place on the plane to Qatar next month was a hat-trick goal, and even then only the width of the goalframe stopped him taking home the match ball.
Wilson scored from the spot, added another with his head and assisted two other goals, both on the break. He showcased his all-round game beyond being a pacy finisher and will have given the England boss a headache as he weighs up his options.
The 30-year-old would be a unique option in the Three Lions' current set-up, possessing that raw speed which they have lacked since Jamie Vardy's international retirement, and no-one could deny he also has the quality to go with it.
With Tammy Abraham out of form in Serie A and Dominic Calvert-Lewin only just back from injury, could a Kane-Toney-Wilson strikeforce be jetting off from Heathrow next month?
If Southgate is going on form, which is a big if, then there's no reason why not.
Newcastle's next match is a Super Sunday clash at Southampton, live on Sky Sports with kick-off at 2pm. The Magpies then end the first half of this Premier League season with back-to-back home games: against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup on November 9, before hosting Chelsea on Saturday Night Football three days later, live on Sky Sports from 5pm.
Aston Villa will have Unai Emery available as manager for their last three games before the World Cup, starting with back-to-back matches against Manchester United.
Villa host Erik ten Hag's side next Sunday in the Premier League, before going to Old Trafford four days later for their Carabao Cup third-round clash, live on Sky Sports with kick-off at 8pm. Villa's last match before the World Cup is a trip to Brighton on November 13.
