Newcastle got a worrying glimpse of life without Alexander Isak as they were held to a 0-0 draw in their Premier League opener at Aston Villa despite Ezri Konsa's dismissal.
Villa defender Konsa was sent off for a foul on Anthony Gordon midway through the second half on Saturday. But Newcastle were unable to take advantage.
Swedish striker Isak remained in the spotlight despite not being part of the proceedings. He was not involved against Villa after reportedly informing the club he wants to leave to join Premier League champions Liverpool.
"I don't think we dominated, chance-wise, the way we wanted. We were maybe a little bit too anxious to score," Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said.
"If you're not totally together in the Premier League, you're going to find it very difficult, but I think we answered a few questions today in terms of our spirit."
Newcastle's new signing Anthony Elanga almost scored in the third minute but Villa's 34-year-old goalkeeper Marco Bizot made an excellent reflex save on his league debut to deny the Swedish winger.
Bizot was called into action several more times as Howe's side dominated, getting down smartly to his right to turn a low Anthony Gordon shot away for a corner and coming to collect a stream of crosses as he grew in confidence.
Villa managed to maintain some control and they could have taken the lead early in the second half when John McGinn picked out Boubacar Kamara with a super cross, but the midfielder’s header was straight at keeper Nick Pope.
Villa forward Ollie Watkins had a similar tame shot after 65 minutes before the home side were thrown into disarray a minute later when Konsa was shown a straight red card.
Elanga had picked up the ball as Newcastle launched a counter-attack and sent a superb pass through the middle for Gordon to chase. Konsa was sent off for pulling the forward's shoulder to prevent him getting through on goal.
Newcastle continued to fire crosses into the box but without the clinical Isak, they could not convert them.
“I hope it’s resolved quickly, because it’s news around us all the time," Howe told TNT Sports about the Isak situation. "Players have managed to shut that out and perform. We have to continue to do that.”
Newcastle's next game is at home to Liverpool.
“It’s always spicy against Liverpool, there’s a history to the fixture," Howe said. "We look forward to it. We know how good they are.”
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Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
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