Villa Park stunned as ruthless ambush leaves top PL side reeling | OneFootball

Aston Villa stepped onto the field with one objective, to turn the page from Champions League elimination and prove they have much to battle for yet this season. Opposition was no easy task, Newcastle, third in the Premier League with one of the best away records. What happened at Villa Park, though, was a team that began with a bang, assertively and without inhibition. A 4-1 win, a victory that not only puts the Villans back in the mix for European spots but also shows a team that is hell-bent on bouncing back quickly.

Aston Villa began playing like that Champions League elimination three days earlier never happened. Just 33 seconds in, Watkins scored and set the tone. It started with a Tonali mistake, then a pinpoint pass from Tielemans. The shot deflected off Schär, just enough to fool Nick Pope and make it 1-0. That goal took Watkins onto 74 Premier League goals for Villa, alongside Gabby Agbonlahor as the club's all-time leading Premier League scorer. Newcastle reacted early. Harvey Barnes delivered a great cross in the 18th minute, and Schär nodded it through Martínez's legs. The goal did not settle Villa down. The home team kept pushing, kept creating, and should have gone back in front before half-time through Watkins, who twice struck the woodwork.

Second half dominance and scoreboard control

After halftime, Villa didn't waste any time. Ian Maatsen scored his first Premier League goal just past the hour. Then Ramsey, a recent substitute, sent in a low cross that caused Dan Burn's own goal. Two minutes later, Amadou Onana scored in the top corner, turning the win into a rout, 4-1. The substitutes entered and delivered, completing the job with clinical efficiency.

Momentum on one side, poor defensive statistics on the other

Aston Villa made it five Premier League wins in a row with this result, something they had not managed since April 2023. And that is six straight home wins in all competitions, each of which they have won by scoring at least two goals. The team is now 19 home matches unbeaten in all competitions.

Meanwhile, Newcastle traveled to the match boasting the third-best away record this season, eight wins in their last ten away matches. But this time they lost their fourth Premier League match, conceding more than four goals, a total only bettered by Ipswich, Leicester, and Southampton, the current bottom three.