Johan Manzambi's first-half header gave Aston Villa a 1-0 win at Newcastle United on Saturday evening, the Swiss midfielder punishing the club Villa beat to his signature in the summer and piling more pressure on Magpies boss Matthias Jaissle after a second straight defeat.
Botman survives as Villa seize control
Newcastle needed a response after Monday's 4-1 defeat at Coventry, but the early flashpoint almost made their task harder. Joelinton was booked for flying into a tackle on Manzambi, and seconds later Sven Botman lunged in over the ball on Nicolas Jackson. Botman was also shown a yellow card, VAR Stuart Atwell checked the challenge for a possible red, and the yellow was allowed to stand — a decision Sky Sports pundits Jamie Redknapp and Shay Given both said at half-time should have been a sending-off.
Villa were already carrying the greater threat. Jackson, in form after scoring twice in midweek, drove into the box on the counter-attack inside nine minutes but could only fire tamely at Lukas Hornicek, with Harvey Barnes recovering to hurry his shot. Newcastle, by contrast, were competitive in midfield but blunt in the final third, a pattern that never really changed.
Manzambi punishes the club that wanted him
The goal arrived nine minutes before half-time and it was a story in itself. Joao Gomes lifted a cross into the box, Manzambi pulled away from Lewis Miley and, with all the time and space in the world, picked his spot with a header inside Hornicek's near post. As the Times live coverage noted, it was another goal for a player who also scored in the 6-0 demolition of Fenerbahce on Wednesday — and who joined Villa from Freiburg in a club-record deal this summer after the Midlands club gazumped Newcastle for his signature.
It should have been 2-0 within three minutes. Emiliano Buendia crashed a shot off the post, Hornicek scrambling to smuggle the rebound clear with the home defence at sixes and sevens. Newcastle went in at the break to boos from the St James' Park crowd, and the Premier League's own blog recorded pundit Kevin Nolan's verdict that Villa's goal had been far too easy, with Newcastle leaving space all over their own half.
Wissa wastes Newcastle's way back
The hosts' best chance of an equaliser came three minutes after the restart, and fittingly it fell to the man who had been lucky to stay on. Botman's effort was kept out by a fine full-stretch save from Zion Suzuki, Villa's goalkeeper producing the one moment of genuine quality Newcastle forced from him all evening. In total, the home side managed just one shot on target from 11 attempts.
Jaissle turned to his bench, sending on Bazoumana Toure and William Osula, but the clearest openings still fell to Yoane Wissa. The striker headed wide from a cross on 64 minutes, flashed another effort wide after Tyrone Mings dallied in possession, and then, with Harvey Barnes better placed, chose to shoot and missed again late on. At the other end, substitute Ross Barkley drew a save from Hornicek and the lively Ibrahim Mbaye twice went close, while Villa's win came at a cost: Aaron Wan-Bissaka, filling in at left-back, was helped off with an apparent hamstring injury and replaced by Pau Torres.
So what does this result mean?
For Villa, this is a second Premier League win of the season and it lifts them to eight points, level with Newcastle, extending their unbeaten run to six matches in all competitions. The contrast in their season is stark: rampant in the Champions League, stuttering in the league — but a 1-0 away win built on Gomes' control in midfield, a clean sheet and Manzambi's form looks like the night the domestic campaign finally caught up with the European one. Manchester City's visit to Villa Park next weekend is now a test to relish rather than dread, although the Wan-Bissaka injury deepens a real problem at left-back.
For Newcastle, the numbers are grim. This is a 16th straight Premier League match without a clean sheet, back-to-back defeats after the Coventry humiliation, and a home performance that produced one shot on target and ended with supporters heading for the exits. Jaissle's young side stay on eight points and travel to Crystal Palace next Sunday knowing the defensive mistakes he admitted to after Coventry have not been fixed — they have simply been repeated in front of their own fans.
Beyond the Final Whistle
Beyond the Final Whistle: There is a special cruelty in being beaten by the player you tried to sign. Newcastle wanted Manzambi, Villa got him, and on Saturday he headed the winner at St James' Park while the home crowd booed a team that cannot defend and barely shoots. Emery's side are flawed, but they have an identity, a plan and a match-winner in form; Jaissle, five days after Coventry, has a crisis taking shape. One shot on target at home is not a blip — it is a warning. Is Jaissle already running out of time at Newcastle, or does this young squad deserve patience? Tell us in the comments.
