Photo credit: www.theguardian.com
Key events
14 min: Konsa makes an incisive pass for Watkins, who is about to break free when he’s pulled back by Schar. The Newcastle defender receives a yellow card, though it could have easily been a red for denying a clear scoring chance. VAR reviews the situation but decides not to intervene, which has raised eyebrows given some of the decisions made today.
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12 min: VAR also examines an incident involving Trippier and Watkins, where Trippier inadvertently touches Watkins on the chest with his studs. Fortunately, there’s nothing malicious about it, and no further action is taken.
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10 min: Rogers is taken down late by Burn, but Villa is in the midst of an attack, so the referee lets play continue. McGinn’s cross from the left finds Asensio, who collides with Pope, resulting in a free kick but no card for Burn, despite the severity of his earlier challenge. Concerns over officiating linger.
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9 min: Guimaraes tries to set up Isak with a pass into the Villa penalty area, but he misjudges it, sending the ball out for a goal kick instead.
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8 min: Kamara stops Joelinton from surging forward in the central area with a slight hold, narrowly avoiding a booking. There seems to be a pattern today; some referees prefer not to show cards early in the match.
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7 min: Newcastle looks to find their rhythm, establishing some possession but doing little with it in the midfield.
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5 min: Watkins, eager to make a statement after being benched for the PSG match, makes a powerful run down the left, cuts into the box, and unleashes a spectacular shot that rattles the underside of the crossbar! Pope is caught off guard, but the ball bounces back into play just inches away from a goal, missing the top corner by a hair’s breadth. What a near miss!
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4 min: Newcastle responds by winning a corner, where Barnes takes a shot amid a crowded penalty area, but it gets blocked.
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2 min: With that last goal, Watkins has tied Gabriel Agbonlahor as Aston Villa’s joint all-time leading goalscorer in the Premier League, each boasting 74 goals. Other historical figures like Billy Walker and Pongo Waring are overshadowed in this narrative shift.
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Updated at 18.36 CEST
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-0 Newcastle United (Watkins 32 sec)
McGinn attempts to break down the left for Watkins. Although Tonali intervenes to stop him, his clearance lands at Tielemans’ feet, who promptly feeds it back to Watkins. He takes a shot that deflects off Schar, sending the ball into the bottom left corner, beating Pope, who is caught flat-footed. An exhilarating start for the home side!
Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins celebrates after scoring the early goal. Photograph: Harry Murphy/Aston Villa FC/Getty ImagesWatkins (centre) in jubilation post-goal. Photograph: David Davies/PAShare
Updated at 18.37 CEST
Newcastle kicks off. They’re targeting the Holte End in this opening half.
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Both teams are on the pitch! Aston Villa is dressed in their iconic claret and blue, while Newcastle sports third-choice white kits paired with green shorts. The Magpies have a solid record against Villa, securing victory in five out of their last six league encounters, with an impressive aggregate score of 16-2. Nonetheless, Villa did triumph 3-0 in their last meeting at home in 2023, which could provide a morale boost. We’re ready for kickoff!
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Unai Emery speaks to Sky Sports. “Good afternoon … or evening! … today’s match is crucial … every match prior was important, but we find ourselves at a key juncture … we are up against a Newcastle side that’s having an exceptional season … we aim to chase them down … both for Champions League qualification … or Europa League … pushing for the highest possible finish is now our focus.”
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The earlier matches have concluded, yielding mixed results for Villa and Newcastle in their Champions League aspirations. Bournemouth dropped points against a weakened Crystal Palace, while Brighton suffered a 4-2 defeat to Brentford. In contrast, Manchester City secured their place in the top five with late goals against Everton. Rob Smyth delivers all the updates in today’s edition of Clockwatch. Current standings reflect these developments.
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Jason Tindall, filling in for the absent Eddie Howe, comments for Sky Sports. “I believe the lineup is straightforward … the players have been performing well individually and as a unit, so we’re unchanged! … A nod to Harvey Barnes for maintaining focus during his time out of the squad … today promises to be a challenging encounter … facing one of the top managers in the game … both teams play aggressive football … we expect an entertaining match.”
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This matchup echoes the FA Cup finals of 1905 and 1924. Aston Villa emerged victorious in the first, defeating Newcastle 2-0 and denying them a league-and-cup double. Conversely, Newcastle avenged this setback by matching that scoreline in the 1924 final. Although the historical context is intriguing, the mention serves primarily as a nostalgic look back. Here’s a glimpse into the latter match, which occurred precisely 100 years and 51 weeks ago:
“Newcastle United captured the Football Association Cup for the second time by overcoming Aston Villa with a two-goal scoreline. Scorers Billy Cowan and Stan Seymour netted within a minute, despite Villa dominating possession with eighty percent.”
“The excitement around King’s Cross and Euston was palpable the morning of the final, with a massive turnout of supporters arriving from both cities. Trains started arriving from Newcastle as early as 2.55 AM, and fans were able to rest in the waiting rooms and even on the train platforms.”
“On matchday, all routes seemed to point towards the stadium, with visitors from the North alongside London locals eager to witness the event. Thankfully, there was no chaos at the entrance, a contrast to the previous year.”
“Cup finals are often explosive, but this one was particularly thrilling. In a swift counter-attack late in the match, a Newcastle offensive burst led to a goal that dashed Villa’s hopes. Cowan scored, and just half a minute later, Villa had a chance to equalize. However, Murphy regrouped and quickly found Seymour, who slipped past the defense and doubled the score. The initial goal had sealed the fate of the match, which will be remembered for the reserve goalkeeper Bill Bradley’s exceptional performance that was key to the triumph.”
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Villa makes four alterations to their lineup following a narrow 3-2 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday. Ian Maatsen starts after making an impressive contribution, complemented by Tyrone Mings, Marco Asensio, and Ollie Watkins, with Lucas Digne, Marcus Rashford, and Amadou Onana relegated to the bench, while Pau Torres is absent entirely.
In contrast, Newcastle sticks with a ‘if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it’ philosophy. After a commanding 5-0 win over Crystal Palace, they maintain the same starting XI.
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The teams
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen, Kamara, Tielemans, McGinn, Asensio, Rogers, Watkins.
Subs: Olsen, Disasi, Barkley, Rashford, Digne, Garcia, Malen, Onana, Ramsey.
Newcastle United: Pope, Trippier, Schar, Burn, Livramento, Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton, Murphy, Isak, Barnes.
Subs: Dubravka, Wilson, Gordon, Targett, Krafth, Osula, Willock, Longstaff, Miley.
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Preamble
Both of these storied clubs have recently embraced the challenge of Champions League football and are eager for more. Currently, they sit third and seventh in the league, separated by five points, with aspirations reaching at least for a top-five finish. Adding to the excitement, Villa has triumphed in nine of their last ten games in all competitions, while Newcastle finds themselves riding a six-match winning streak and celebrating a long-awaited domestic trophy. This encounter is poised to be thrilling. Prepare yourselves! Kick-off is at 5.30pm BST. Here we go!
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Source
www.theguardian.com