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The pressure on Steve Bruce grew heavier with this resounding loss to his former club, which dragged itself back to the top half of the table thanks to goals from Ollie Watkins and Bertrand Traoré. Newcastle are winless in 10 games in all competitions and, although they are seven points above 18th, they are far from safe from relegation. Bruce’s position seems even more precarious.
Moments after the final whistle at Villa Park, Newcastle fans expressed their anger more than 200 miles away, descending towards St James’ Park with banners calling for Bruce to leave.
“I’m disappointed to hear that,” said Bruce, who insisted, anyway, that he is “absolutely sure that we will be fine.” He attributed that confidence to the returns to action of Allan Saint-Maximin and Ryan Fraser, who were introduced from the bench with 20 minutes to go against Villa.
“This is the first time that I can play against them in tandem this season and we saw glimpses of what they can do together.” At the very least, Bruce’s ability to spot positives amid grim performances remains top-notch. They never seemed to win anything from this contest.
On and off the pitch, Villa’s optimism represents an almost perfect contrast to Newcastle.
That being said, Dean Smith watched from the mischievous step in the stands after his red card for protesting too stridently during Wednesday’s loss at Manchester City. But there was no question that Bruce came into this game as the most troubled manager. Especially after the news that Rafa Benítez is available again after leaving his position in the Chinese Super League.
Newcastle really started well against Villa. But they peaked in the fourth minute. Miguel Almirón fired what turned out to be his only shot on goal, a 20-meter effort that barely made Emi Martínez move enough to warm up.
Karl Darlow made an equally easy save to frustrate Matt Targett two minutes later, after Villa’s corner kick hit the wing at the edge of the box. Targett threatened in a more familiar way in the 10th minute, when he ran into a pass down the left wing and served a delicious cross that Watkins simply couldn’t reach. Newcastle ignored the warning. Punishment soon came.
Targett merged with Jack Grealish on the left before turning over another junction toward Watkins. Fabian Schär tried to intercept, but only managed to throw the ball into the air. Watkins reacted faster than Darlow, who seemed unsure that he could use his hands to claim what could have been construed as a back pass. The forward had no doubts about what to do and duly nodded to the net from close range for his seventh league goal of his first season in the top flight.
Newcastle stayed slow for the next few minutes and almost fell behind when Ross Barkley sent a header just wide from a free kick.
Andy Carroll briefly unsettled Villa after crosses from Javier Manquillo, but Newcastle’s mini-uprising was soon put down. After his corner was half cleared, Grealish regained possession and threw a low pass into the path of Traoré, who ran towards him and guided a beautiful shot down the crossbar from 16 meters.
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Villa, now dominant, almost added a third early in the second half, with Watkins denied by Darlow before Douglas Luiz swerved. Newcastle’s defenders were once again conspicuous in confusion. Moving forward, Villa continued to radiate energy and invention, while Newcastle seemed increasingly limited.
Fraser had a chance to make an instant impact moments after his presentation, but the ever-reliable Ezri Konsa came back to block his shot.
Bruce could have cheered up, but Martinez had nothing to do in second period.
Not so Darlow, who made a brilliant save to thwart Trezeguet with death. “We’ve been stuck at 19 points for a while,” Bruce said. “The faster we get a win, the faster confidence will regain.”
Villa positively bubbles with confidence and vitality. “I am really satisfied with the effort and the team spirit,” Smith said. “When you have the attitudes of young people that we have, you can do something special.”
