PREMIER LEAGUE : ASTON VILLA VS NEWCASTLE UNITED – 16/08/2025

PREMIER LEAGUE – ASTON VILLA VS NEWCASTLE UNITED – 16/08/2025

NEWCASTLE MADE 451 PASSES WITH AN 83% PASS ACCURACY, (HAD 61% POSSESSION), AND 16 SHOTS, WITH 3 ON TARGET, BUT NOTHING REACHED-THE-BACK-OF-THE-NET IN THEIR MATCH AGAINST ASTON VILLA YESTERDAY.  AND ASTON VILLA MADE 310 PASSES WITH A 73% PASS ACCURACY AND 3 SHOTS, WITH 3 ON-TARGET, BUT ONCE AGAIN, NO GOALS.  (IT CAN’T HAVE HELPED THAT EZRI KONSA RECEIVED A RED CARD AT 66 MINS. LEAVING ASTON VILLA DOWN TO 10 MEN, AFTER SOME ARGEY-BARGEY WITH ANTHONY GORDON.)

ONE OF NEWCASTLE’S HEROES, ALEXANDER ISAK WAS LEFT OUT OF THE SQUAD AS HE SEEKS TO MOVE TO LIVERPOOL. (ISAK SCORED THE WINNING GOAL AS NEWCASTLE LIFTED THEIR 1ST TROPHY IN 70 YEARS AND WAS INVOLVED IN MORE THAN 40% OF NEWCASTLE’S TOTAL LEAGUE GOALS IN 2024/25.) THE TRAVELLING NEWCASTLE FANS SEEMED BEMUSED BY ISAK’S ABSENCE, PARTICULARLY BECAUSE OF THE 0 – 0 RESULT. 

BUT EDDIE HOWE, SEEMINGLY PREFERRING TO FOCUS ON THE DEPTH OF HIS SQUAD SAID AFTER THE MATCH:-

“EVERYONE THAT STEPPED ON THE PITCH TODAY SHOWED THAT THEY WANTED TO BE HERE AND WANTED TO PLAY WELL. THEY TRIED TO EXPRESS THEIR BEST PERFORMANCE. THERE WAS NO SIGN OF ANY PSYCHOLOGICAL WEAKNESS IN OUR PERFORMANCE, WHICH IS REALLY PLEASING. IT’S VERY EASY TO ALLOW OUR STANDARDS TO DROP OR ATTENTION TO DRIFT FOR A SECOND BUT WE DIDN’T. TO COME AND MINIMISE THEM TO THE CHANCES THAT THEY HAD WAS A REAL SIGN OF DEFENSIVE SOLIDITY, WHICH IS GREAT. I WOULD RATHER LOOK AT THE POSITIVES WHILE ACKNOWLEDGING THERE WAS A GAP IN OUR PERFORMANCE. WE DIDN’T TAKE THAT ONE CHANCE THAT WE NEEDED TO.”

(IT’S A SIMILAR SITUATION TO THE TIME WHEN LEWIS HAMILTON WAS MOVING TO FERRARI REALLY.  TOTO WOLFF SAID “IT’S A NATURAL TRANSITION FOR ANY DRIVER, EVERYONE WANTS TO WEAR THE RED OVERALLS.”  TOTO WOLFF ALSO WENT ON TO EMPHASISE THAT THEIR PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP REMAINS STRONG.)

ASTON VILLA BOSS UNAI EMERY SAID AFTER THE MATCH:-

“I AM NOT HAPPY ONLY ACHIEVING ONE POINT, BUT HOW IT WAS GOING AND THE OPPONENT WE HAVE, WE HAVE TO ACCEPT IT AT THE END OF THE MATCH.  WE DIDN’T CONCEDE A LOT BUT VERY GOOD CHANCES THEY HAD, AND OUR GOALKEEPER MARCO BIZOT SAVED FANTASTIC.”

BY AMANDA WATERS