Aston Villa held on for a 0-0 draw against Newcastle United in their Premier League opener, even after going down to 10 men in the second half. The result means Villa have now gone 22 home league games unbeaten.
Most of the talk around Newcastle this summer has been about striker Alexander Isak, who wants to leave, and the club’s struggle to find a replacement. That lack of firepower showed in the first half. Newcastle were on top and created several chances but couldn’t finish them off. They almost took the lead just three minutes in when new signing Anthony Elanga got through on goal after a mix-up in Villa’s defence, but Villa’s debut goalkeeper Marco Bizot made a smart save.
Elanga and temporary striker Anthony Gordon had seven shots between them before half-time. Gordon forced Bizot into another save with a low effort from the edge of the box. Villa were poor in the first half, managing only 73% pass accuracy and failing to get a single shot, which left the home fans frustrated. Still, Villa were lucky to go into the break with the score level.
It was the first time since March 2022 that Villa ended the first half of a league match without a single shot. But just two minutes after the restart, they finally created something when John McGinn crossed to Boubacar Kamara, who headed straight at Newcastle keeper Nick Pope.
Chances then became rare, as both teams, who finished last season level on points, looked evenly matched again. But things changed when Gordon was played in behind Villa’s defence by Elanga, and Ezri Konsa pulled him down. Konsa was shown a straight red card for denying a clear goalscoring chance.
Villa braced themselves for late pressure, but Newcastle’s lack of a proper striker meant they couldn’t take full advantage, and the game ended goalless. It’s only the second time Newcastle have avoided defeat in seven Premier League visits to Villa Park, but it also ends their run of three wins in a row on opening day.
With Isak missing, Villa managed a clean sheet, just their third in their last 12 home league matches. On the other side, Ollie Watkins’ quiet game marked the first time he hasn’t scored at home against Newcastle in five league games, a sign of a frustrating afternoon for both teams.
