Aston Villa delivered a scintillating second-half performance to overwhelm the 2025 Carabao cup winners, Newcastle United 4-1 at Villa Park, earning a thoroughly deserved three points and strengthening their push for European qualification.
The first half ended all square, but Unai Emery’s men came out firing after the interval and completely took control of the match.
Villa’s attacking intensity reached new heights as they registered an expected goals (xG) tally of 2.28 in the second half alone, creating numerous opportunities through the likes of Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, and John McGinn.
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The breakthrough came when Ollie Watkins expertly picked out Ian Maatsen, who surged in behind the Newcastle defence and finished clinically to give Villa a 2-1 lead. That goal marked a turning point, as Newcastle’s structure crumbled soon after. A defensive mishap from Dan Burn led to an own goal that made it 3-1, compounding the visitors’ woes.
Substitute André Onana then stepped up with a thunderous strike from distance to seal the result at 4-1, ensuring any lingering doubt was erased.
Fellow substitutes Jacob Ramsey, Donyell Malen, and Ross Barkley all threatened to add further goals as Villa dominated the closing stages. Newcastle, by contrast, failed to recover from Villa’s onslaught.
The Magpies managed just 1.02 goal overall and were restricted to a single significant opportunity after the break, when Alexander Isak was denied by a sharp save.
The result ends Newcastle’s five-match winning run and costs them a chance to solidify their grip on third place in the Premier League. Aston Villa, meanwhile, continue their fine form with a fifth consecutive league victory.
They now climb to sixth in the table, level on points with Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest, intensifying the battle for a top-five finish.
With momentum on their side, Emery’s Villa look increasingly like serious contenders for European qualification, while Newcastle will need to regroup quickly to stay in the hunt.
