‘Awful’ - Alan Shearer says what every Newcastle United fan is thinking about Aston Villa defeat
.jpg?width=96&crop=1:1,smart)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa: Alan Shearer has slammed Newcastle United’s performance at St James’ Park.
Newcastle United were beaten 2-0 at St James’ Park by Aston Villa as goals from Emi Buendia and Ollie Watkins secured Villa’s first win on Tyneside since 2005.
Buendia’s dipping effort from outside the box gave Unai Emery’s side the lead in the first-half before a late Watkins header, capitalising on some very poor defending by the hosts, wrapped up the points for the Villans. The Magpies, amid a string of momentum breaking fouls and timewasting from their opponents, failed to test Emiliano Martinez in the Villa goal with any regularity.
Having also been nilled against Wolves last weekend, Eddie Howe’s side netted three times in midweek to progress in the Champions League. However, familiar woes in front of goal once again crept into their play on Sunday as they were kept at arms length by Villa throughout the 90 minutes.
Yoane Wissa, who has scored just one Premier League goal for Newcastle United, saw very little of the ball during his time on the pitch with Nick Woltemade, the man who came onto replace him as the Magpies sought an equaliser, even less.
After leaving Molineux without a goal and a point in the bag, it was hoped that the Magpies could showcase their attacking talents against Villa in a game that usually promises goals. However, much like the reverse fixture, the Magpies were blunt up-front and that issue was once again brought up by Alan Shearer post-match on X.
Shearer, who knows all too well about scoring goals against the Villans, wrote on X: ‘Villa a really good side but we again been awful up top. #NEWAVA’.
A major worry for Newcastle United is that their next three matches are all on the road as they visit the Parc des Princes, Anfield and Etihad Stadium - three venues where they have won just one match in the past two decades.
Ollie Watkins reacts to Aston Villa win v Newcastle United
Whilst Newcastle United tried and failed to break down the Villa defence, Watkins was the right man at the right moment to put Villa two ahead and seal the game for his side. The former Brentford man was poos for the majority of the game and was dealt with handily by Sven Botman, but eluded his marker as Newcastle failed to react to a recycled corner to head past Nick Pope.
The Gazette has launched a new WhatsApp NUFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone. Simply click this link to join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, the England international admitted that winning at St James’ Park was ‘massive’ for his side in their push for Champions League qualification: “It is a really difficult place to come and the momentum they get from their fans,” Watkins said.
“I think we got the gameplan spot on today. We didn't play in front of them, we just played in behind and I don't think they were prepared for that. I feel like it was a strong performance from us and I think we could have won the game by a lot more.
“I've had some shocking performances here so it was nice to break the duck and perform individually and as a team. It is massive for us and it is a nice feeling. We had a bad result against Everton, so to bounce back and get three points on the road against Newcastle, it's big, so we're really happy.”