Newcastle United opened their Premier League campaign with an emphatic 5-1 victory over Aston Villa at St. James’ Park on Saturday.
The Magpies were dominant from the start and took the lead in the 10th minute through Alexander Isak. The Swedish striker doubled Newcastle’s advantage in the 27th minute, before Callum Wilson made it 3-0 just before half-time.
Aston Villa pulled one back through Emiliano BuendÃa in the 52nd minute, but Newcastle responded with two more goals in the final 10 minutes. Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes, both making their debuts for the Magpies, scored to complete the rout.
It was a perfect start for Newcastle under new manager Eddie Howe, who has been tasked with leading the club back into the Champions League. The Magpies were in the relegation zone for much of last season, but their new owners have invested heavily in the squad during the summer transfer window.
Aston Villa, on the other hand, will be disappointed with their performance. They were missing a number of key players through injury, but they still had enough quality to challenge Newcastle. However, they were undone by some poor defending and a lack of creativity in the final third.
Newcastle will be looking to build on this victory when they travel to Brighton and Hove Albion next weekend. Aston Villa, meanwhile, will need to bounce back when they host Nottingham Forest.
Watch highlights below…..
