January 25, (THEWILL) — Emiliano Buendia and Ollie Watkins struck to give Aston Villa a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Sunday.
Unai Emery’s side had struggled in their 1-0 defeat to Everton seven days earlier. Their display on Tyneside demonstrated why they remain firmly in the English Premier League title race.
Sandro Tonali nearly put the hosts ahead within 37 seconds, but Buendia broke the deadlock in the 19th minute with a superb effort. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, in his 200th league outing for the club, kept out Lewis Miley’s attempt before the interval.
Joelinton’s departure through injury early in the second half hampered Newcastle’s hopes of mounting a revival. Villa took control in the closing minutes, with Watkins forcing Nick Pope into action from distance before heading home from Lucas Digne’s delivery.
The triumph lifted Villa level on points with second-place Manchester City. Newcastle must now recover quickly, with their UEFA Champions League fixture against Paris Saint-Germain arriving on Wednesday.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
