Aston Villa exited the **FA Cup**fourth round after a 3-1 defeat against Newcastle United.
Tammy Abraham registered his first goal as a permanent player for the Villans in a first half that belonged mostly to the hosts. But deputy shot stopper **Marco Bizot**blundered significantly before half time, and the visitors piled on the pressure after the restart.
Sandro Tonali turned their man advantage into a lead for the Toon, who capped off the game with a third goal for Nick Woltemade.
Story of the Match
Unai Emery made seven changes to the lineup he used in a 1-0 beating of **Brighton**earlier this week. Marco Bizot took the place of Emiliano Martinez in goal.
Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings made way for **Pau Torres**and Victor Lindelof. Lucas Digne was a straight swap for Ian Maatsen, and Lamare Bogarde stayed at right back.
In the front four, Emiliano Buendia and Jadon Sancho stepped aside for Ross Barkley and Leon Bailey while Tammy Abraham replaced Ollie Watkins.
Eddie Howe had given starting spots to five new outfield players after a 2-1 win over Tottenham. Lewis Hall held down the position of left back instead of Dan Burn, who displaced Sven Botman as the central defender to partner Malick Thiaw.
Club captain Bruno Guimaraes gave way to Sandro Tonali in the midfield. William Osula and Nick Woltemade joined Harvey Barnes in the offensive unit while Jacob Murphy entered the eleven in place of Anthony Elanga as the right winger.
These two teams played out a goalless stalemate at Villa Park on the opening matchday of the Premier League in August, and they set out to avoid the same outcome on this occasion. The Toon pushed forward down the flanks, first trying to test Bizot with a long-range strike from Barnes.
Meanwhile, Villa were far more successful at penetrating through the middle of the field. Abraham pulled the strings to start a transition that saw Bailey smash a shot into a sea of green shirts before Morgan Rogers passed up on the opportunity to release him with a through ball behind the backline.
In the end, the striker did not have to wait long for his first goal since his return to the Midlands in January. He linked up with Barkley, who drew contact and earned a free kick in the 13th minute. Luiz lifted the ball into the penalty area from the set-piece, and Abraham coolly slotted away his effort.
The Villans kept probing. Rogers ripped through the middle of the park, and Abraham was assisted by Bailey for a shot that Thiaw blocked. Seconds later, Torres pinged a deep ball for Digne to chase, and the Frenchman’s cutback picked our Barkley, whose miscued volley let the visitors off the hook.
In the 26th minute, another Digne delivery was met by Bailey, whose header was wayward. Newcastle needed to build a way back into the contest and gradually gained chances. Hall sent Barnes behind the backline with a chipped pass, but the winger would not earn a penalty after his tussle with Bogarde. The same conclusion applied to Ramsey when he tried to tunnel his way through Villa’s centre.
On the verge of half time, Emery’s men came close to doubling their advantage. Bailey knocked the ball off Burn in a duel down the channel to gain a corner, and from the second phase of the set-piece, Luiz lifted another delightful ball over Newcastle’s offside line. Again, Abraham was the recipient, but in his attempt to play provider, the striker squandered a big opportunity to bag his own brace.
Nothing could have prepared the hosts for what came next. The onslaught of set-pieces continued, and from another corner, Bailey tried to sweep the rebounding ball to the left side in a switch of play. His execution was errant, and the Toon flew downfield on the counter. Bizot had a rush of blood, sprinting to the halfway line and fouling Murphy. Without any hesitation, the referee brandished a red card.
Emery elected to take off Bailey, and Martinez was substituted onto the field as the shot stopper for the start of the second half. Time would tell how the dismissal would shift the dynamic of the game.
Newcastle earned their first corner of the clash within forty seconds of the restart, setting the tone for the rest of the encounter. Their hosts sat off in a back five as Amadou Onana filled up the backline while Rogers was released as an outlet with Abraham at the top-end of the formation. Villa continued to put in the hard yards to defend their goal with discipline, successfully frustrating Howe’s players.
On the hour mark, another flashpoint arrived. Kieran Trippier tried to attack the danger zone with a cross that came off the outstretched arm of Digne. The referee penalised the incident, but he decided to award a free kick even though the Frenchman had been several yards inside his own penalty area.
Justice would soon be served. Martinez flapped at the free kick from Trippier, and the ball fell freely for Tonali on the edge of the box. The midfielder watched his shot deflect off Luiz and go into the net.
Howe had already prepared to shuffle the pack. Elanga was a straight swap for Murphy, and Anthony Gordon got Osula’s position upfront. Equally, Emery felt the need to freshen up his eleven: Abraham came off for Watkins, and Buendia allowed Barkley to be rested after his first start in thirteen months.
Gordon and Barnes both might have scored a second goal for the Toon, who eventually earned their desired outcome with another long-range shot from their Italian. A Trippier cross was cleared out of the box, and Tonali drilled an effort beyond Martinez. With fifteen to go, Newcastle had the lead.
Sancho and Ian Maatsen were ordered to go onto the pitch by Emery, replacing Rogers and Luiz. Villa desperately searched for a leveller, but they would soon end up out of the tie altogether.
Newcastle broke up the field on the transition, and Villa were forced to recover possession in their own box. Bogarde tried to play the ball out from the back, but his infield pass allowed **Joe Willock**to pounce. The substitute could not score, but Woltemade would earn his ideal birthday present. From close range, the German buried the ball past Martinez, and the Toon were through to the next round.