Newcastle United's 'smart' £31m move as midfield addition made official v Aston Villa - five things

Newcastle United ended a run of four straight defeats in the Premier League with an emphatic 3-1 win against high-flying Aston Villa at Villa Park - here are five talking points from the match.

Unchanged Newcastle United as midfield addition made official

Eddie Howe went with an unchanged starting line-up to the side that beat Fulham 2-0 on Saturday evening in the FA Cup. Miguel Almiron returned to the bench following illness and, in turn, ending any speculation regarding a potential transfer to the Saudi Pro League.

18-year-old Travis Hernes remained on the bench following his call-up to the squad at Craven Cottage while Joe White officially made his return to the side following the conclusion of his loan spell at Crewe Alexandra.

The 21-year-old is yet to make his competitive debut for Newcastle but is likely to get some minutes over the coming weeks given the squad's injury situation. White was initially brought back to United for further assessment following his loan before a decision was made to keep him with the first-team squad until the end of the season.

Newcastle United's 'best' piece of transfer business shines again

Newcastle's start to the game at Villa Park was a refreshing throwback to the Newcastle we saw for the majority of last season. Ironically, The Magpies' previous trip to Villa Park was one of their few off days from last season. But they made amends with their positivity and defensive calmness on Tuesday night.

As the January transfer window draws to a close without United making a senior signing, arguably the club's best pound-for-pound signing in the modern era stood up and shone once again just weeks after signing a new contract.

Fabian Schar will go down in history as one of Newcastle's greatest Premier League centre-backs. The current landscape of the transfer window is such that £3million signings of such quality would be near impossible, but it's also a reminder that being shrewd and frugal when it comes to transfers can often prove effective.

Schar gave Newcastle a deserved lead just after the half-hour mark as he volleyed in Kieran Trippier's corner from close range. It was the 32-year-old's first Premier League goal since August 2022 but it took just a matter of minutes for the Swiss centre-back to double his tally as he pounced again to turn in Anthony Gordon's effort which had deflected back off the crossbar.

All of a sudden The Magpies were 2-0 up and in control.

"Fabby is a threat from set-plays and it's good to see our return to form in that area," Howe told The Gazette. "Dan Burn scoring recently, Sven [Botman] looking good aerially from most situations so it was good to see Fabby's turn and he took his goals brilliantly.

"He's always been a goalscorer for Newcastle over the years and he has the technical ability to do it. We were a threat in that respect."

Another injury blow for Newcastle United

Things were going too well for Newcastle in the first half when Alexander Isak pulled up with a groin issue and decided he could not continue. It is hoped the injury is not serious but Howe admitted it was too early to tell at this stage.

The injury leaves Newcastle without a senior striker but Callum Wilson is understood to be closing in on a return ahead of the match against Luton Town at St James' Park on Saturday (3pm kick-off).

"I'd like to say it was my decision but it was Alex's decision [to come off]," Howe admitted. "He felt he had to come off.

"We're hopeful it's not a serious injury, it doesn't look too bad but it's very early to say that. We need a proper diagnosis and then assess from there."

Miguel Almiron came on his Isak's place with Anthony Gordon sticking to a central striker role. Despite Almiron only just returning from illness and being, by Howe's admission, at '50%' - the winger proved his worth in the Newcastle side with his bursting run and good link-up play with Gordon resulting in Newcastle making it 3-0 shortly after the break.

Almiron was in the slightly unfamiliar position of being played on the left wing but it worked wonders for the Paraguayan as it allowed him to cross with his strong left foot without having to cut back or stifle the momentum of Newcastle's attack.

His low ball into the box was met by Jacob Murphy, whose effort deflected heavily off Villa defender Alex Moreno to make it 3-0.

Eddie Howe's smart £31m tactical move

Newcastle had defended with calmness and confidence for the majority of the match before Leon Bailey's introduction for Aston Villa turned the momentum of the game slightly. The winger gave Dan Burn a torrid time for a brief spell in the second half and helped Villa pull a goal back heading into the closing stages as he set up Ollie Watkins.

Watkins then thought he'd scored again minutes later but was denied by the offside flag. Spotting the danger, Howe introduced Tino Livramento for the final 15 minutes of normal time as Newcastle switched to a back five.

That nullified Villa's threat toward the end of the game as Newcastle looked the more likely side to grab another goal. Sean Longstaff saw a late effort saved by Emi Martinez before the game ended 3-1.

A turning point for Newcastle?

That was much more like it from Howe's side, arguably their finest Premier League performance of the season, despite being depleted in numbers. The away form has also been somewhat addressed with the Magpies winning their last three matches on the road in all competitions.

Villa hadn't lost a home game in almost a year and sat 14 points above Newcastle in the table heading into the game. But in a refreshing twist to the season, Newcastle secured a convincing away win and - having beaten Aston Villa 5-1 and Sheffield United 8-0 earlier in the season - became the first Premier League side this campaign to score eight goals past two different teams.

This has the potential to be a turning point in Newcastle's season. And with Luton Town, Nottingham Forest and AFC Bournemouth coming up, they have an ideal opportunity to get things properly back on track.