Goals:

1-0: Cisse (37, controlled Janmaat’s right-wing cross and slotted home from close range)

Bookings: Hutton (26, foul), Lowton (45, foul), Williamson (53, foul), Agbonlahor (63, foul), Clark (83, foul), Cleverley (90, dissent)

Referee: Lee Mason (Bolton) – The vast majority of his yellow cards were justified and controlled the game effectively throughout 6

Attendance: 51,573

Entertainment: **

 

NEWCASTLE (4-4-2):

7 Krul: Made an important second-half save to deny Cleverley, and also thwarted Benteke and Sinclair with decent stops before the break

8 JANMAAT:  Raised the tempo of the game as he closed down his opponents and pushed forward, and delivered an excellent cross for Cisse’s goal

8 Coloccini: Much improved from last weekend’s horror-show at the Etihad and ensured Benteke was forced to feed on scraps

7 Williamson: Won a number of important headers and held his position diligently to ensure Villa’s attackers had no space in the box

7 Haidara: Marked Sinclair out of the game and was a key defensive figure before injury forced him off midway through the second half

4 Obertan: Failed to impress on his return to the starting line-up, with most of his crosses failing to find their intended recipient

4 Abeid: Restored to a defensive midfield position, but was wasteful in possession in the first half and struggled to influence the game

6 Sissoko: Forced to play much deeper than usual, but responded with a mature display that helped keep things tight at the back

6 Ameobi: His work rate and commitment were impressive, even if some of his more speculative passes failed to come off

5 Riviere:  Went close with a first-half header that drifted wide, but failed to impose himself on the Villa defence

7 Cisse:  Converted the one genuine opportunity that came his way, displaying a fine technique and a coolness under pressure

 

Subs:

R Taylor (for Haidara, 61): Newcastle lost none of their defensive solidity following his introduction, and almost scored with an excellent free-kick 7

Perez (for Riviere, 73)

Gouffran (for Obertan, 78)

(not used): Woodman (gk), Anita, Gutierrez, Armstrong.

 

ASTON VILLA (4-4-2):

Guzan 7; Hutton 7, Okore 4, Clark 6, Lowton 6 (Bacuna 82); Sinclair 5 (N’Zogbia 66, 4), Delph  6, WESTWOOD 7, Cleverley 6; Benteke 5, Agbonlahor 4 (Weimann 73).

Subs (not used): Given (gk), Grealish, Sanchez, Gil.

 

Man Of The Match: DARYL JANMAAT – The Dutchman was a key part of a much-improved defensive display, and was also Newcastle’s most threatening attacker for a large chunk of the game.