Johan Manzambi scored the only goal as Aston Villa defeated Newcastle 1-0 at St James' Park on Saturday Night Football. The midfielder, who had agreed to join Newcastle in the summer before moving to Villa instead, headed home in the 36th minute after scoring on his 21st birthday in midweek Champions League action. Manzambi said he knew the team was very good and felt it was perfect for him after playing against them in the Europa League final last season.
Newcastle set a new club record of 16 successive games without a clean sheet in all competitions. A controversial moment saw Sven Botman initially shown a yellow card for a challenge on Nicolas Jackson, but VAR did not upgrade it to red despite calls from Jamie Redknapp and Jackson himself, who said he nearly broke his leg. Newcastle had no shots on target in the first half and only one in the match, with Zion Suzuki making a wonderful save to deny Botman.
The Magpies were loudly booed at half-time and full-time as their stuttering start under Matthias Jaissle continued. Aston Villa, while also missing chances, looked more like Unai Emery's side and moved level on eight points with Newcastle, just behind them in the table. The three points were crucial for Villa's early-season push.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing