Newcastle United secured a commanding 3-0 victory over Aston Villa to move fifth in the Premier League table, with Alexander Isak continuing his prolific form.
Anthony Gordon opened the scoring just 80 seconds in with a superb curled finish after a swift counterattack led by Joelinton.
Villa’s hopes of a comeback were dealt a major blow when Jhon Duran received a straight red card in the 32nd minute for a stamp on Fabian Schar, a decision that frustrated Villa boss Unai Emery, who criticized the lack of a VAR review. Early in the second half, Isak doubled Newcastle’s lead with a close-range finish from Jacob Murphy’s cross, his seventh goal in six games.
Joelinton sealed the win in stoppage time, capitalising on a loose Villa pass to curl a third past Emiliano Martinez.
The result marked Newcastle’s third consecutive league win and fourth in all competitions, furthering their hopes of returning to European football next season. Eddie Howe praised his side’s attacking confidence and hailed Isak’s “unbelievable quality” as the Swedish forward added to his impressive tally of 11 Premier League goals this season.
Despite a spirited effort by Villa, including strong saves from Martinez and a late attempt to rally with the introduction of Ollie Watkins, Newcastle’s dominance with the man advantage proved decisive. Villa, now ninth, suffered their fifth consecutive away league defeat, while Newcastle’s victory highlighted their offensive resurgence, with 14 goals scored in their last four games.
