Sandro Tonali steals the show, 3/10 struggles, five get 7/10 – Newcastle player ratings vs Aston Villa
Newcastle made their way into the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 3-1 comeback win over Aston Villa at Villa Park.
Newcastle were behind inside the first 15 minutes as Tammy Abraham latched onto the end of Douglas Luiz’s quick free kick to score, despite looking offside upon second viewing.
A controversial first half saw Aston Villa keeper Marco Bizot sent off just before the break for a dangerous tackle on Harvey Barnes as he raced up the pitch.
The talking points continued into the second period, with Newcastle drawing level through Sandro Tonali after Chris Kavanagh had failed to award them a penalty for a Lucas Digne handball.
Tonali then grabbed his brace 15 minutes from time as he drilled a low strike past Emi Martinez from 25 yards out, and Nick Woltemade sealed the win late on after some lazy defending allowed him to pounce, and it ended 3-1.
Sandro Tonali – Man of the match
News of Bruno Guimaraes’ long-term injury came as a huge blow to Newcastle earlier this week, but Tonali stepped up to make sure they did not miss their captain at Villa Park.
The Italy international delivered a Guimaraes-esque performance as he popped up twice to fire his side to the fifth round of the FA Cup.
His first came through a slice of luck after a deflection off Douglas Luiz, but the second was a fantastic strike that left Martinez with no chance down to his right.
He also won both of his ground duels and made 10 passes into the final third, so earns a nine out of 10 rating for effectively winning his side the match.
William Osula had no impact on the game up front
Osula has had to bide his time for chances in attack this season, after he looked set to leave last summer but was kept on Tyneside by manager Howe.
The 22-year-old’s last Magpies start came against Bradford City last September, and his rustiness was clear to see as he struggled to ever get involved in proceedings at Villa Park.
His one shot on goal came directly after Villa’s opener, and he caught it so wrong that it ended up going out for a throw-in rather than testing Bizot.
Osula touched the ball just nine times, with only one of those coming in the hosts’ penalty area, while he lost possession on four occasions and won only one of seven attempted duels.
He was taken off for Anthony Gordon in the 63rd minute, and earns a low three out of 10 rating for his poor showing.
Newcastle player ratings in 3-1 win vs Aston Villa
- Aaron Ramsdale – 7
- Kieran Trippier – 6
- Malick Thiaw – 7
- Dan Burn – 7
- Lewis Hall – 8
- Sandro Tonali – 9
- Jacob Ramsey – 7
- Jacob Murphy – 5
- Harvey Barnes – 6
- Nick Woltemade – 7
- William Osula – 3
Substitutes
- Anthony Gordon (on for Osula, 63′) – 6
- Anthony Elanga (on for Murphy 63′) – 6
- Joe Willock (on for Ramsey 80′) – 6
- Alex Murphy (on for Trippier 90′) – N/A