Newcastle United crashed to their first home defeat of the season as they were beaten 1-0 by Aston Villa at St James' Park. The Magpies looked choked as they left the field, having failed to manage a shot on target in the first half while Villa controlled the contest.
Manzambi Header Decides Tight Contest
Despite Villa's poor finishing, Newcastle remained in the contest after the opening half-hour. However, nine minutes in, Johan Manzambi headed home from Joao Gomes' right-wing cross at the Gallowgate End.
Manager Jaissle abandoned his initial plans after just 55 minutes, substituting Joe Willock and Matias Fernandez-Pardo. Newcastle's woeful finishing was on show as they piled forward for an equaliser but failed to trouble the goalkeeper.
Aston Villa Hold On
Aston Villa had done enough to hand on, knowing they could afford to waste further chances. Here's how the Magpies fared against Villa:
Player Ratings
Lukas Hornicek 6 - Looked shaky but also left exposed as Villa lined up for a series of chances.
Lewis Miley 6 - Caught dozing as Manzambi was afforded a free header to nudge Villa ahead. Otherwise looked for answers.
Malick Thiaw 4 - Was part of a defensive struggle as Villa were allowed to run at Newcastle at will. Survived a booking after being caught out. Looked deflated by the end.
Sven Botman 3 - Looks like a man devoid of confidence and his reckless challenge on Manzambi showed it. Was dropping off the likes of Jackson in order to keep pace in this game.
Lewis Hall 7 - Newcastle's only quality operator on the night. Left the field utterly frustrated.
Joelinton 6 - Rode his luck a little after an early yellow card and will be better for 90 minutes of action, but the captain for the night could not inspire his side to victory. Newcastle struggled in midfield, and finding a system that suits Joelinton may now be required.
Nico Gonzalez 5 - Offered a bit of quality in terms of midfield passing but failed to find solutions as far as a defensive shield was concerned.
Joe Willock 3 - Fortunate to stay in the team after the Coventry mauling and picked up where he left off at the CBS Arena. Deployed as a number 10 but could not link up play and fired one chance that came his way into the side netting. His number came up before the hour mark.
Harvey Barnes 3 - Lacked impact with no shots on target and just two accurate crosses from 11. Not in form.
Matias Fernandez-Pardo 5 - Fizzled out after lively first few minutes with just 19 touches and no shots at goal overall. Used on the right-hand side but didn't get much joy.
Yoane Wissa 3 - Had his chances but lacked bite in the danger zone. On a night when Newcastle needed a focal point in attack, he couldn't provide one.
Substitutes
Bazoumana Toure 6 - For Willock 57
William Osula 4 - For Fernandez-Pardo 57
Dan Burn - For Joelinton 90
Player must play a minimum of 15 minutes to earn a mark. Rate the players here.
