Ollie Watkins was unstoppable as he scored for Aston Villa in their 4-1 win against Newcastle United.
The Magpies could not deal with the press at Villa Park on Saturday evening, and the floodgates opened just a few minutes after the hour.
Aston Villa pulled off a move that is likely to be familiar to many Newcastle United fans: scoring goals in quick succession. Jason Tindall will be disappointed with the way his side played, especially given that the scores were level at half-time.
Shay Given praised Nick Pope after Newcastle’s defeat, despite conceding four goals. The Irishman said Pope still made many saves even after conceding so much.
Kieran Trippier struggled for Newcastle, with a lot of Villa’s football being played down his flank. Unai Emery had clearly planned for that before the game, and it paid off.
With Newcastle returning to Tyneside empty-handed, Ollie Watkins has shared what he always knew about his opponents after the game.
Ollie Watkins highlights Newcastle United exploit
Watkins opened the scoring after less than a minute against Newcastle, with his effort deflecting off Fabian Schar before bouncing past Pope. The 29-year-old could have scored a hat-trick in the first-half, with two of his efforts colliding off the post.
The England international also bagged an assist later on in the game, adding to the Magpies’ misery.
During his post-match interview with Sky Sports, Watkins shared that he was well aware of how Newcastle were going to play, and even admitted that it is the perfect style of football for him.
“We knew Newcastle were going to go man-for-man,” Watkins said.
“For me personally, I like it when teams do that because you’re one-v-one, you’re going to have a lot of duels and I think I got the better of Schar today and gave him a tough time.
“He’s an unbelievable defender but today was my day.”
An off-day for Newcastle United’s attacking options
The Magpies had their six-game winning streak snapped in the loss to Villa, and that simply comes down to the lack of chances that were created.
Newcastle had 10 shots throughout the game, with just three hitting the target. In comparison, Villa had 23 efforts with nine on target.
Alexander Isak was nowhere to be seen throughout the game for Newcastle, an occurrence that has become more common over the last few games.
Harvey Barnes bagged an assist during the game, but he still struggled to stamp his authority on the game like he usually has since taking over from Anthony Gordon on the left wing.
With five games left in the season, Newcastle can take their week off to reflect on the defeat and come back stronger against Ipswich Town.
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