Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe reveals why Sean Longstaff was left out of his starting XI

Howe made one change to his starting XI for this afternoon’s defeat to Aston Villa.

Anthony Gordon replaced Longstaff in the team for the game at Villa Park, where two second-half goals from Ollie Watkins, and an early strike from Jacob Ramsey, gave Unai Emery’s side a 3-0 victory.

Howe revealed after the game that Longstaff – who came off the bench in the second half – had been laid low during the week with an illness.

“Sean’s had some illness, we weren’t quite sure how long he could play,” said United’s head coach. “Sean had a bout of tonsilitis in the week, so he didn’t train. So we felt he wasn’t fit to start the game.”

Howe labelled the performance as his third-placed team’s “worst” of the season.

“I think it was probably our worst performance,” said Howe. “We weren’t great today, and that’s hugely disappointing in such a big fixture.

“The lads have been so consistent throughout the season. These things can happen. We now just need to focus on our response to today.

“I’m just focusing on today’s performance. I thought, in all disciplines, we were slightly off our best and we got punished by a very good team. We’ll certainly analyse the game as thoroughly as we can, but then look forward because we have a massive game next weekend (against Tottenham Hotspur).

“It was unlike us in every aspect really. I thought we were wasteful with the ball, and definitely unlike ourselves out of possession.

“We weren’t as solid, tight and reliable as we have been. There’s a lot to analyse from my perspective.”