Danny Ings scored a brilliant overhead kick to set up a deserved Aston Villa victory although Newcastle were unlucky to be on the wrong end of two VAR decisions in the 2-0 defeat.
The £25million signing from Southampton, who scored on his Villa debut in the 3-2 defeat at Watford last Saturday, struck deep into stoppage time at the end of the first half after Tyrone Mings flicked on Matt Cash’s long throw.
Anwar El Ghazi doubled Villa’s lead in the 62nd minute with a perfect penalty that was awarded after referee David Coote was advised by VAR to check for handball.
Mings got on the end of Erzi Konsa’s flick-on to head goalwards where the ball struck Jamaal Lascelles, who endured a torrid afternoon on his return to the Newcastle defence after a foot injury, on the arm.
Then 15 minutes from time Callum Wilson was preparing to take a penalty he had earned when being fouled by Emiliano Martinez.
But VAR adjudged the striker to have been offside as he ran onto Jacob Murphy’s pass down the right-hand channel.
Villa were dominant, after the early stages, and Newcastle are left frustrated after this second straight defeat.
Emiliano Buendia, the £33 million arrival from Norwich, helped trigger Villa’s first attack, sending John McGinn forwards to pass wide to El Ghazi, who shot over.
Wilson had inexplicably missed a great chance before this. Running off the back of Mings, the striker was clean in on goal but sidefooted wide.
Villa benefited from having Douglas Luiz back in midfield, just 14 days after he helped Brazil win the gold medal at the Olympics.
However, Newcastle felt they should have had a penalty in the 25th minute when Murphy went over Ashley Young’s tackle but Coote turned them down.
Ings had another half-chance, dinking Jacob Ramsey’s slide-rule pass just wide of Freddie Woodman’s far post in the 20th minute, but when he got a chance centrally, there was no denying him as his superb finish saw Villa go into the break ahead.
Joe Willock worked hard for Newcastle but did not have any clear chances to score for his eighth successive game for the club, either side of his £25million move from Arsenal after last season’s loan.
And the Magpies’ hopes of getting something out of the game were all but ended just after the hour when El Ghazi slotted home from the spot.
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