Newcastle 0-1 Aston Villa: Premier League – live reaction

Unai Emery is doing it again. Aston Villa have won four of the last five in all competitions and look set for another good season despite losing so many star players in the summer.

Johan Manzanbi, who almost joined Newcastle, headed the winner to lift Villa up to 12th in the table. Newcastle are above them on goals scored but, on this evidence, their rebuild could take longer than Villa’s.

90+5 min An inadvertent standing-foot poke from Barnes turns into a decent pass to Gonzalez, whose first-time shot from distance is blocked.

90+4 min Villa break three on three, but Jackson takes a bit too long and eventually has a shot blocked.

90 min: Newcastle substitution Dan Burn replaces Joelinton and goes straight up front. Six minutes of added time.

90 min: Just wide from Mbaye! A thrilling run from Mbaye, who roasts Miley, then cuts across another defender before reversing a shot just wide.

86 min Thiaw ends a Villa break by flattening Mbaye.

85 min: Big chance for Nwwcastle! Wissa runs at a backpedalling Villa defence, all the way into the area. He has Barnes in a great position to his right but goes for goal himself and shoots just wide. That was a terrific chance.

84 min Barnes’ snapshot on the turn is blocked, as is Mbaye’s shot at the other end.

83 min: Chance for Mbaye! Mbaye misses an excellent chance to seal victory, lifting over from a tight angle after good play from McGinn and Barkley.

83 min Plenty of Newcastle pressure now, albeit on the desperate and impatient side. They have seven minutes plus added time to find an equaliser.

81 min In fact it was one of Unai Emery’s coaching team who was booked, not the man himself.

80 min Joelinton nicks the ball off Mings on the right edge of the area and cuts it back towards Wissa. He blasts well wide of the near post.

79 min I think Unai Emery has also just been booked.

78 min Pau Torres is immediately sent flying by Osula, who is booked.

77 min: Villa substitution Villa’s problems at left-back just got worse: Aaron Wan-Bissaka has limped off to be replaced by Pau Torres. Looks like a hamstring injury, and a pretty bad one because he’s being helped from the field.

75 min Newcastle break from the resulting corner and Cash, the last defender, makes a superb challenge on Osula.

74 min: Fine save by Hornicek! Jackson runs at Botman in the area and has a shot blocked. The ball rebounds to Barkley, who cuts across an excellent drive from 25 yards. Hornicek plunges to his right to push it round the post; that’s an excellent stop.

73 min “I could never really decide about Nichlas Jackson at Chelsea - he seemed to get into good positions a lot, with limited end product and a propensity to pick up daft cards,” writes Benjamin Gravestock. “Am increasingly convinced he might actually be the real deal, though. Biggest compliment to him is that we aren’t really missing Ollie Watkins. “I was among those who thought that Emi Martinez’ time to move on was probably right, even last year; I was hoping for James Trafford, but am extremely happy the club secured Suzuki. Whisper it, but both Jackson and Suzuki might actually be upgrades…”

Jackson could be more ruthless, I guess, but his movement and link play are superb. And you’d imagine that, like Watkins, he’ll only improve under Emery.

72 min: Triple substitution for Aston Villa Ross Barkley, Leon Goretzka and Ibrahim Mbaye replace Emi Buendia, Joao Gomes and the goalscorer Johan Manzambi.,

69 min Barnes’ first-time shot from distance is well blocked on the edge of the D. Moments later, Miley’s cross is headed up in the air towards Wissa, whose sweetly struck scissor-kick is crucially blocked on the six-yard line.

68 min An excellent cross from Cash is put behind for a corner by Miley. It’s half cleared to Cash, who blooters well wide from 25 yards.

66 min Villa started the game in 17th place. If it stays like this they’ll jump to 12th, behind Newcastle on goals scored.

64 min Miley’s clipped cross is headed over from 10 yards by Wissa. Good play from Miley and a decent effort.

63 min The impressive Hall does well to stop Jackson’s angled through ball reaching Manzambi.

61 min Next goal’s a big goal. It’s been more even since half time, but St James’ Park could turn if Villa make it 2-0.

Joelinton, on a yellow card, runs into Kamara and is penalised.

58 min A deep cross from Toure is claimed impressively under pressure by Suzuki.

57 min: Double substitution for Newcastle Will Osula and Baz Toure replace Joe Willock and Matias Fernandez-Pardo.

55 min Wissa is booked for a late challenge on the keeper Suzuki.

54 min Manzambi cuts inside from the right, beats two players and hits a left-foot shot that is blocked, possibly by his teammate Buendia.

53 min Gonzalez is booked for a brazen tactical foul on McGinn.

52 min Barnes wins a corner for Newcastle, who have made a strong start to the second half. Barnes’ inswinger is headed away at the near post.

Gonzalez’s free-kick from the right is headed away as far as Wissa on the edge of the area. He’s challenged by a Villa player but Botman smashes a shot on the half turn that is superbly tipped round by the diving Suzuki.

47 min “Evening Rob,” writes Simon McMahon. “In another convoluted attempt to shoehorn Dundee United into liveblog, daughter Evie and partner Ryan are in Seville tonight, watching Real Betis play Barcelona in La Liga. 2-1 to Barca at half time, Lamine Yamal and Rodri on the scoresheet. Maybe Betis should bring on John Clark and Iain Ferguson at the break, I’ve no doubt Evie will be lecturing the locals on United’s record v Barcelona in Europe, not least to deflect from the current side’s failure to beat St. Johnstone in Perth today...”

46 min Villa have made a half-time substitution: John McGinn for Alysson, who was on a yellow card.

That tackle from Sven Botman on Nicolas Jackson looks worse every time you see it – “a disgraceful challenge”, in the words of Jamie Redknapp on .

Apparently the VAR, Stuart Attwell, decided it was reckless rather than dangerous.

“Hmmm, not great watching from an Matthias Jaissle fan club perspective,” writes Chris Paraskevas. “Joelinton hasn’t had the desired effect of shoring up our midfield, which is frequently wide open while trying to play a bizarrely high line against Nicolas Jackson, who thrives off playing off the shoulder.

“The interesting thing is that there are genuine options on the bench: Dedic, Steur, Osula, Toure, Burn and Murphy can all possess their own unique qualities.

“A big issue for MJ is that no-one out there looks like a bona-fide match winner in the Bruno G, Athony G or The Other Bloke mould: the scaling back on proven quality has been sudden and substantial.

“So, it hasn’t quite turned out as it said it would in the brochure, but simultaneously... it’s not as if MJ is inhereting a poor squad.

“Big, big second half coming up.”

Premier League match reports

Brentford 1-2 Liverpool

The half-time whistles brings a short chorus of boos from the home fans. Villa have been the sharper, smarter team and lead through a forceful header from Johan Manzambi, a player Newcastle thought they were going to sign in the summer. Emi Buendia hit the post and Nicolas Jackson, a constant threat on the break, passed up a couple of chances. Newcastle have a lot of work to do.

45 min A reminder that Villa lost more than half the XI that started last season’s Europa League final. I thought it would take Unai Emery a full season to build an effective new side; instead, it looks like he’s done it before the clocks go back.

43 min Replays suggest Jackson may have been fouled by Gonzalez, but nobody really appealed for a free-kick.

42 min Barnes stumbles into the six-yard box, forcing Suzuki into a slightly ungainly clearance with his right foot. There was a risk of a ricochet off Barnes and back into the net, but Suzuki got away with it.

Moments later Jackson loses his footing on the edge of the area after another very dangerous break.

Newcastle are all over the show. Wan-Bissaka finds Jackson, who teases a defender on the left side of the area before pushing the ball back to Buendia. He takes a quick touch and rattles a low shot that takes a deflection, hits the inside of the post and ricochets onto the back of the diving Hornicek. Thankfully for Newcastle the ball drops kindly and is cleared.

38 min Apparently Newcastle have conceded in their last 16 home games, setting a new and entirely unwelcome club record.