Unai Emery might want to rethink his doubts about Aston Villa’s chances of survival after witnessing their latest performance. Despite his earlier skepticism about their ability to break into the top five, his squad looked every bit the title contenders during a recent match.

It’s not often that a team visits St James’ Park and departs with a victory, especially without conceding a goal. Aston Villa, however, became the first Premier League team to do so this season, showcasing a powerful blend of authority, flair, and a determined defensive resilience. They married nimble footwork with strategic cunning, truly mastering the art of the game.

Despite the fatigue that might have been expected from a Thursday night return from Turkey, Villa seemed more rejuvenated than drained. They outclassed Newcastle both technically and tactically, displaying greater maturity in managing the game. Emiliano Buendia and Morgan Rogers were particularly outstanding, proving too much for Eddie Howe’s squad to handle. Their energetic play electrified the field, while Newcastle struggled to keep pace in a match that could have propelled them back into the top five.

Villa’s performance, from Emiliano Martinez at the back to Watkins leading the charge upfront, was full of confidence and swagger. In contrast, Newcastle’s efforts in the attacking third appeared disjointed. This encounter marked the first time this season that Newcastle has failed to score in consecutive Premier League matches.

Adding to their woes was the absence of Bruno Guimaraes. His sore ankle meant he missed the game, and the statistics are telling: in the past four years, Newcastle has failed to win any of the 11 top-flight games he has not started. His leadership and drive in midfield were sorely missed, underscoring his critical role in the team.

Emiliano Buendia opened the scoring for Aston Villa against Newcastle with a superb strike

Ollie Watkins added Villa’s second after 88 minutes to secure all three points at St James’ Park 

Yet, had the Brazilian been present, there is no guarantee he would have found a way beyond Amadou Onana, the steel who serves the silk of Buendia and Rogers. This was a game in which Newcastle could have done with the latter pair, in order to get around the former. Howe was asked if it was time for his club to find a No.10 in the mould of the Villa duo. 

‘When you lose a game, everyone wants to change something,’ he said. ‘We have the players that we have, and we have to find a solution with those players. There’s no point me thinking we need another type of player at this moment, because it’s not going to happen. The next chance we’ll really have to change the squad will be the summer.

‘I don’t think we played badly, but certainly around the goal, we could have done better. We still created chances that, on another day, I think we score.’

The first of those may have altered the course of the afternoon had it gone in. Howe had challenged Sandro Tonali to score more goals this week. The midfielder almost had his first of the season inside 38 seconds. 

Three of those seconds were spent chopping between three Villa jerseys but his shot, from 10 yards, was kept out by the toes of Martinez. It set the tone for a strong home start that would last only 10 minutes. After that, Villa took control.

Buendia and Rogers were too clever, too skilful and too quick during a period in which the visitors looked like the home side and deservedly took the lead on 19 minutes. Moments earlier, Newcastle needed Nick Pope to deny Watkins after a Malick Thiaw error allowed the striker a run on goal. But Pope had no answer for Buendia’s dipping, devilish strike from 20 yards, for which Rogers was the provider with a first-time tee.

Buendia had started from the left but Emery, identifying a hole between Newcastle’s midfield and defence, told his players to populate it. Suddenly, they had three No.10s fizzing around Watkins, Jadon Sancho joining the party from the right. By comparison, Newcastle’s Yoane Wissa was playing as if stranded on an island. Their wide players, Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes, played too wide and, when they did deliver, those balls were either wayward or decent but without takers. 

Wissa occasionally had some company and Lewis Miley would have equalised with a six-yard header just before the break had Martinez not extended his fingertips to claw clear.

Unai Emery’s Villa side are the first to win away at Newcastle’s in this season’s Premier League

It was the last save he had to make and, despite a raft of home changes in the second half in which Nick Woltemade and Anthony Elanga replaced the disappointing Wissa and Gordon, nothing really changed. Villa were the better side and Watkins got his goal when peeling away unmarked to turn in from Lucas Digne’s cross.

The victory moves Villa level on points with Manchester City in second, with an 11-point cushion to sixth. They are far better than Emery lets on.