Key events
GOAL! Aston VIlla 1-2 Newcastle (Tonali 76)
Tonali scores his second! The Italian puts his team ahead with a wonder-strike. Dan Burn slipped the ball his way just outside the area as Villa cleared a corner and the Italian picked his spot in the bottom left-hand corner before firing home a with a precision strike. It’s been coming!
76 min: Newcastle corner. Harvey Barnes is unable to get on the end of Trippier’s delivery despite stretching every sinew.
75 min: Hall tries to play Elanga in behind with a weighted pass but the substitute loses his footing and falls over.
73 min: The ball breaks to Trippier in the VIlla box after a brilliant Hall cross from the left. Newcastle’s captain sends a wild shot high and wide.
72 min: Newcaslte send another cross into the Villa box and for once, Woltemade is there to try to get on the end of it. Amadou Onana clears with a towering header.
70 min: From that corner Newcastle win another, the ref having been unmoved by Dan Burn going to ground on the back of another little tussle with Torres as the first one came in. Nothing comes of the latest set-piece.
69 min: The ball drops for Gordon just inside the penalty area and his low drive is deflected narrowly wide for a corner. Before Trippier can take it, Pau Torres goes down after being briefly throttled by Dan Burn.
It’s subsittution time: Villa bring on Ollie Watkins and Emi Buendia for Tammy Abraham and Ross Barkley. Newcastle replace Jacob Murphy and William Osula with Anthonys Elanga and Gordon.
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-1 Newcastle (Tonali 63)
Justice is served. Martinez punches Trippier’s curled free-kick clear, the ball finds its way to Tonali on the edge of the area and he fires a low shot past the Argentinian, displaying great technique in the process. The ball takes a deflection on its way in but Newcastle have earned a bit of luck.
60 min: Trippier receives a passs from WOltemade and tries to curl a cross intop the Newcastle penalty area. The ball hits Digne’s raised arm and it should be a penalty but the ref awards a free-kick just outside the area. Newcastle are getting royally shafted by the absence of VAR in this game.
58 min: Villa embark on a rare second-half sortie into the Newcastle half of the pitch with Amadou Onana on the ball. He does well to hold it up and win a free-kick for his side wide on the left. Digne’s delivery is semi-cleared by Newcastle and Villa work the ball back to Martinez.
57 min: Still seething, Ramsey overhits a pass to the byline which was meant for Tonali. It’s another Villa goal-kick.
56 min: Jacob Ramsey is booked for protesting too much over a decision to give Villa a goal-kick when he thought Newcastle should have had a corner.
54 min: Tonali tries to pick out Trippier with a weighted pass to the byline but overhits his delivery. The ball bounces harmlessly out of play for a goal-kick, which Emi Martinez is in no great rush to take. A big shock, that.
52 min: Harvey Barnes is booked for diving after throwing himself to the ground under a non-challenge from Bogarde. He takes his punishment without so much as a murmur of complaint.
52 min: Hal;l swings a cross into the Villa penalty area from the left touchline but iit’s headed clear.
50 min: Rogers is penalised for a foul on Lewis Hall near the halfway line and throws his arms in the air in frustration.
49 min: Trippier misplaces a through ball to Osula and gifts possesion back to Villa on the edge of their own penalty area.
47 min: It seems the official verdict for Bizot’s dismissal is that he walked for preventing a clear goalscoring oppportunity. That’s odd because he didn’t. Villa had at least two defenders back covering when their goalkeeper took out Jacob Murphy. At the time of his dismissal, Opta reported that he had been sent off for serious foul play, which made a lot more sense. Anyway, it doesn’t matter – he’s gone.
46 min: Straight out of the blocks, Newcastle win a corner, their first of the match. They play it short to Tonali and the ball is worked to Harvey Barnes, whose deflected shot is prevented from going out for a corner by Martinez.
Second half: Aston Villa 1-0 Newcastle United
46 min: Newcastle kick off against the 10 men of Aston Villa with a one-goal deficit to overcome. Much of the half-time tactical chat has centred on how deep Nick Woltemade has been playing and how ineffectual that is making the current non-existent partnership between him and Will Osula. Both players are out for the second half.
That red card: Bizot was nearer the halfway line than his own penalty area when he brought down Murphy and while he didn’t prevent a clear and obvious goalscoring opportunity, he was sent off for serious foul play. He got nowhere near the ball and his tackle was knee-high.
The red card that wasn’t given: Lucas Digne was extremely fortunate not to get sent off for his studs-up challenge on Murphy some minutes prior to Bizot’s rush of blood to the head. He should have walked.
Half-time: Aston Villa 1-0 Newcastle United
A dramatic first half comes to a close with Aston Villa a goal up and a man down. Emi Martinez has replaced Marco Bizot, with Leon Bailey being sacrificed. Villa lead courtesy of a goal that almost certainly would have been ruled out for offside if we had VAR, while Villa are down to 10 men following Marco Bizot’s moment of madness.
RED CARD! Villa are down to 10 men!
Villa goalkeeper Marco Bizot charges out of his penalty area as Newcastle break upfield from Villa’s latest corner and takes out Jacob Murphy with a terrible knee-high challenge. What on earth is he doing? He walks … eventually.
44 min: Villa corner. Bailey raises his right arm before shooting straight at the first defender. Villa recycle the ball, Douglas dinks itl over the top and Tammy Abraham tries to square it across the penalty area instead of shooting. Dan Burn puts the ball out for another corner. From that they win another. Nothing comes of it.
43 min: Not only was that challenge from Digne reckless, it was also needless. On the touchline, Eddie Howe is spitting feathers and you can’t blame him.
41 min: Lucas Digne is booked for a fairly naughty challenge on Jacob Murphy, flying in and catching the Newcastle winger’s standing leg with his studs. I think Digne was very lucky not to get sent off there. The absence of VAR is not doing Newcastle any favours tonight.
40 min: Having been deep in conversation with the fourth official, Eddie Howe is now shooting the breeze with his No2, Jason Tindall, in their technical area.
37 min: Morgan Rogers receives a pass to feet from his goalkeepr under strong pressure from Thiaw and turns him beautifully. Villa work the ball forward and Douglas Luiz sends a shot from distance whistling just over the bar.
35 min: Harvey Barnes plays a lovely give-and-go with Osula, who threads the ball through the eye of a neeedle and back into the path of his teammate. Barnes shoots into the side-netting from a tightish angle.
33 min: Since taking the lead, Villa appear more than happy to concede the vast amount of possession to Newcastle, electing to soak up the pressure while trying to catch their visitors on the counter-attack.
31 min: Running on to a ball dinked over the Villa defence, Harvey Barnes goes to ground under pressure from Bogarde. He appeals for a penalty but while there was contacxt, the makeshift Villa right-back didn’t appear to foul him.
29 min: A drweadful pass from Malick Thiaw gifts possession to Villa on the edge of the final third. Barkley spreads the ball wide to Abraham, who shoots tamely into the arms of Ramsdale.
28 min: Lucas Digne sends a decent cross into the Newcastle penalty area from the left and Leon Bailey ducks to send a header well wide of the far post from the penalty spot.
26 min: Newcastle break upfield but a promising attack breaks down when Hall fails to pick out a promising Osula run and sends his pass astray.
24 min: Dan Burn plays a hopeful ball from deep in the direction of Osula, who loses his footing. Villa get the ball back and Malick Thiaw is booked for hauling Morgan Rogers to the ground as he tries to give him the slip.
22 min: Murphy and Trippier combine down the right and the Newcastle captain tries to pick out Osula with a cross. It’s intercepted. Seconds later, Lewis Hall goes down under a challenge from Lindelof in the Villa penalty area but the appeals for a spot-kick are fairly half-hearted.
21 min: Barnes tries to play Osula in behind with a seven-iron from deep but Victor Lindelof is alert to the danger and intercepts the pass.
19 min: Replays show that finish from Abraham was excellent. He chested down the free-kick delivery from Douglas Luiz and lifted the ball over the oncoming Ramsdale on the half volley. A drop goal, if you will. He was offside, mind … but them’s the breaks.
17 min: Rogers drives forward fand works the ball wide to Bailey via Ross Barkley. He pulls it back to Abraham, whose shot is blocked by Malick Thiaw. That’s excellent attacking play from hosts.
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-0 Newcastle United (Abraham 14)
Villa lead! With Newcastle’s players expecting Morgan Rogers to shoot from distance, Douglas Luiz chipped the free-kick over the ball and into the space behind it. Anticpating the delivery, Tammy Abraham chested down the ball and fired a volley past Aaron Ramsdale. I think he was at least a yard offside but there’s no VAR so the goal stands.
12 min: There’s not a great doeal of interest to report at the moment, with play congested in the middle third of the pitch and both sides appearing to be very evenly matched. Thiaw is penalised for barging ino Ross Barkley, who is making his first start for Villa in 13 months.
10 min: Newcastle are pressing hard from the front, trying to win the ball high up the pitch. Getting a rare start for Newcastle, William Osula is at the tip of the spear chasing everything.
8 min: Harvey Barnes tries his luck with a low drive from a long way out. He doesn’t catch the ball properly and it skids well wide of the upright.
7 min: Tripppier sends a cross into the Villa penalty area and Woltemade leaps to flick it on. Harvey Barnes keeps it in play but is unable to do much on the creative front. Villa clear their lines.
5 min: Morgan Rogers canters down the left wing for Villa, who work the ball across to Leon Bailey the right side of the Newcastle penalty area. He cuts inside but his shot is blocked.
4 min: On the occasion of his 24th birthday, Nick Woltemade robs Douglas Luiz of possession and is immediately fouled by the Brazilian. Yellow card.
3 min: Bizot boots the ball long and Tammy Abraham is penalised for a foul on Harvey Barnes as they battle for possession.
2 min: Villa surge forward and Leon Bailey chases an apparently lost cause to the byline before hooking the ball towards the goal from an angle that couldn’t be tighter. Aaron Ramsdale catches it unopposed at his near post.
Aston Villa v Newcastle United is go …
1 min: Tammy Abraham gets the ball rolling, playing it a few yards backwards to Amadou Onana. Within seconds it finds its way to the feet of Villa goalkeeper Marco Bizot.
Not long now: Kieran Trippier and Lucas Digne skipper the sides, which are led out on to the Villa Park pitch by referee Chris Kavanagh and his team of match officials soundtracked by Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train. Kick-off is just a couple of minutes away.
Fun fact: When Bruno Guimaraes doesn’t start, Newcastle tend not to win. They have only won of the 13 matches which the Brazilian midfielder has not started since his full debut in March 2022, losing six and drawing six. Today they were rocked by the news that he will miss at least eight matches with a hamstring injury.
Unai Emery: “Alysson has a huge potential”
Villa’s head coach was asked about Alysson, the 19-year-old winger the club signed from the Brazilian side Gremio during the January transfer window. “He is a winger, left foot, plays normally in the right side,” he told reporters. “He has qualities or skills like a Leon Bailey. He has a huge potential. His adaptation has been progressing better but he needed time and he’s still needing time to adapt to us and get his best performances.” The young Brazilian is not included in Villa’s matchday squad for tonight’s game.
Eddie Howe: “Our attitude is to win”
“It has helped the feeling and mood at the training ground,” said Newcastle’s head coach of the FA Cup. “It is amazing that it can change the perspective of everyone. I get asked a lot about the FA Cup. Our attitude is to win. It’s a competition we want to win and go as far as we can.
“We would love to have a cup run, our attitude won’t change. We want to try and win the next game and that is Aston Villa. It is a tough draw, a competition we want to do well in and we want to go as far as we can.”
Those teams: Unai Emery makes seven changes to the team that started against Brighton in midweek. Marco Bizot, Pau Torres, Victor Lindelof, Lucas Digne, Ross Barkley, Leon Bailey and Tammy Abraham all start.
Newcastle make six changes to the side that started against Tottenham, as Eddie Howe brings in Aaron Ramsdale, Lewis Hall, Sandro Tonali, Jacob Murphy, Nick Woltemade and William Osula.
Aston Villa v Newcastle United line-ups
Aston Villa: Bizot, Bogarde, Lindelof, Torres, Digne, Luiz, Onana, Rogers, Barkley, Bailey, Abraham.
Subs: Martinez, Konsa, Mings, Watkins, Garcia, Buendia, Sancho, Maatsen, Kone
Newcastle United: Ramsdale, Trippier, Thiaw, Burn, Hall, Tonali, Ramsey, Murphy, Woltemade, Barnes, Osula.
Subs: Pope, Ruddy, Gordon, Elanga, Willock, A.Murphy, Shahar, Seung-soo, Neave.
Today’s match officials
NB VAR is not being used in the fourth round of this season’s FA Cup.
Early team news
Aston Villa quartet Youri Tielemans, John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara and Andres Garcia are all sidelined with injuries, but recent signing Alysson ought to feature today after the 19-year-old winger recovered from a knee problem. Absent from Villa’s midweek win over Brighton, Matty Cash is also expected to miss today’s game.
Newcastle fans are reeling from the news that Bruno Guimaraes will miss the next eight to 10 games with a hamstring injury, while Joelinton, Tino Livramento, Fabian Schar and Emil Krafth all remain sidelined. Lewis Miley is receiving daily scans on a dead leg and is unlikely to be risked here, given the intensity of Newcastle’s looming schedule.
Having declined to select either of his centre-forwards Yoane Wissa or Nick Woltemade to start against Spurs on Tuesday in a gamble that paid off in fine style, it will be interesting to see how Eddie Howe approaches tonight’s game. With four matches and one flight to and from Azerbaijan scheduled for the next 10 days, Eddie Howe could be forgiven for placing this particular contest at the bottom of his list of priorities.
FA Cup fourth round: Aston Villa v Newcastle
Newcastle travel to Villa Park for the second of four consecutive matches on the road for Eddie Howe’s side. Their odyssey began in fine style with a midweek victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League that cost Thomas Frank his job and now they meet Villa in FA Cup for the seventh time since 16 February, 1895.
Villa won 7-1 on that occasion but are unlikely to enjoy such a stroll in a match that history suggest could be highly significant. In five of the previous six seasons these two teams have met in the FA Cup, it has either been in the final (twice) or the the team that won has gone on to reach the final.
Newcastle haven’t won this competition since lifting the FA Cup for the sixth time in 1955, while Villa won the most recent of their seven FA Cups two years later in 1957. For both of them, it’s been a while. Kick-off at Villa Park is at 5.45 (GMT) but we’ll have team news and build-up in the meantime.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2026/feb/14/aston-villa-v-newcastle-fa-cup-fourth-round-live
About the Author
