Newcastle United opened their Premier League campaign with a goalless draw at Aston Villa, missing a string of chances as Ezri Konsa’s red card left the Villans clinging on for a point.
Eddie Howe’s side, without Alexander Isak as uncertainty over his future continues, although a transfer never seems to come to fruition, dominated for long stretches but lacked the cutting edge to secure their first victory this pre- and regular-season.
Anthony Elanga, making his debut after his £55 million move from Nottingham Forest, nearly struck inside three minutes when Sandro Tonali released him through on goal, only for debutant goalkeeper Marco Bizot to parry.
Gordon then headed over and later saw a low drive tipped wide, while Harvey Barnes also went close as Newcastle camped in Villa’s half.
At the break, the Magpies had logged 1.16 xG to Villa’s 0.00 xG, underlining their control without scoring a single goal.
Villa improved after the restart, and Boubacar Kamara’s header drew a first save from Nick Pope, before Ollie Watkins tested him again.
That said, Newcastle looked set for a breakthrough shortly after when Gordon raced clear midway through the half, only to be hauled back by Konsa.
Referee Craig Pawson handed the lad a straight red card, leaving Villa to play the final 25 minutes with 10 men. Funnily enough, Konsa was in disbelief at seeing the most obvious outcome unfold before his eyes.
From there, it became a true offense vs. defense affair with NUFC playing downhill and Villa climbing a damn steep mountain.
Fabian Schar volleyed over, Elanga saw a shot blocked by Matty Cash, and supersub Will Osula was denied by Tyrone Mings in stoppage time. Gordon forced Bizot into another late save, while Bruno Guimaraes had a clear sight of goal but chose to pass instead of shoot, allowing Villa to survive.
Despite their dominance, Newcastle’s total of 1.47 xG from 16 attempts yielded no reward.
After the game, Howe admitted he’s “disappointed” by the Magpies’ failure to claim victory despite their absolute dominance.
“I’m happy with the point. I thought we were magnificent, front-foot, very aggressive. We had chances to score,” Howe said. “I think we had a bit of a lull in the game until the red card and then came on strong again. I’m disappointed we didn’t win. I don’t think we dominated, chance-wise, the way we wanted.
”We were maybe a little bit too anxious to score. The players really turned up and gave everything.”
Newcastle host Liverpool at St James’ Park on Monday, Aug. 25, seeking their first win of the season, with Alexander Isak truly to become the main story of the game, whether he plays or not, and which jersey he’s representing by the time the ball gets rolling.
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