H. Lansbury enters the game and replaces C. Hourihane.
Hourihane scored Villa's opener and assisted their second. His fine night comes to an end, with Lansbury his replacement.
87'
Dubravka launches it forward, with Carroll winning not one but two headers. However, Saint-Maximin doesn’t react quickly enough once it drops, meaning Villa get it clear.
85'
Villa’s fans know their side are almost over the line, now. McGinn and Grealish toy with Newcastle’s midfielders, managing the game and the ball well, before the latter draws a clumsy tackle from Willems.
80'
Wesley gets yellow.
Saint-Maximin does well to open up an angle for a cross, but once it comes to delivering, he puts far too much power behind it, meaning Atsu cannot readjust his feet to meet it. Moments later, Wesley goes into the book for a hefty challenge on Willems.
79'
C. Atsu enters the game and replaces M. Almirón.
A third and final change from Newcastle. Almiron is off, with the pacy Atsu introduced.
75'
Despite the changes for Newcastle, it is still Villa who are enjoying more of the ball and crafting the better openings. Grealish drives clear of several defenders and plays in McGinn, whose cross-shot hits Dubravka. Grealish picks up the loose ball, but this time Willems is on hand to cut out his pass.
72'
D. Gayle enters the game and replaces Joelinton.
Another change from Bruce, though this time it is like for like. Joelinton, who has struggled to have a real impact once again, makes way for Gayle.
71'
Carroll brings the ball down excellently on his chest and, showing decent agility, manages to get an acrobatic effort off. It lacks pace or direction, though, meaning Heaton saves comfortably.
69'
Grealish is still driving through Newcastle’s lines with ease, but yet again his end product is found lacking as he sends a tame effort straight at Dubravka.
Minute
Description
63'
A. Carroll enters the game and replaces P. Dummett.
Bruce is rolling the dice, now. Off goes Dummett and on comes Carroll.
62'
Slick build-up play from Villa, with El Ghazi combining brilliantly with Grealish, who should really do better when presented with a first-time effort just inside the area.
58'
Finally, Newcastle clear their lines, with Saint-Maximin and Joelinton looking to lead the counter. Luiz, however, scampers across to stem the danger.
56'
Now it’s Newcastle who can’t get out of their own box, with Villa winning a series of set-pieces to keep the visitors penned in and unable to break. Hourihane whips in another exquisite cross, but Dummett gets there to clear.
50'
Newcastle keep up the pressure, Shelvey winning it back high upfield and laying it off for Joelinton to try his luck, though his effort is blocked. The visitors do not let up, though, and are not giving Villa any time to keep hold of possession.
46'
We're back up and running at Villa Park.
45' +2
HALF-TIME: Aston Villa 2-0 Newcastle United.
45' +1
Grealish is running the show at Villa Park at the moment. He spins away from a challenge and spreads a delightful ball out to the right. McGinn then takes over, but with El Ghazi ahead of him, the Scotland international gets too much on his pass, which trickles out of play for a goal-kick.
44'
The Villa fans think it's 3-0 after Grealish releases El Ghazi and he slots home under Dubravka, but the winger had strayed just offside.
36'
A. El Ghazi has scored a goal for Aston Villa! Assist by C. Hourihane.
Hourihane has had some impact in the past few minutes, with his wonderful left foot carving Newcastle open.
IT’S 2-0! Newcastle are made to pay again! Bruce will be absolutely furious with his side’s defending in the last five minutes. Hourihane is the provider this time, curling a sublime cross into the corridor between Dubravka and the defence, with El Ghazi on hand to tuck home.
35'
F. Fernández gets yellow.
More reckless defending from Newcastle, who concede another free-kick just yards from the position where Hourihane’s goal came from, as Fernandez up-ends Grealish.
32'
C. Hourihane has scored a goal for Aston Villa! Assist by J. Grealish.
GOAL! HOURIHANE MAKES IT 1-0! What a strike from the midfielder, who – after laying it off to Grealish – whips a wonderful, left-footed strike around the wall and in at the near post, with Dubravka caught flat-footed.
It was a clever free-kick from Villa. The angle was tight, but Hourihane's touch to Grealish, and his subsequent lay off, just opened up a gap, which the former Barnsley man took full advantage of.
31'
Risky from Yedlin! Newcastle’s full-back switches off completely, allowing Grealish to drift in behind unmarked. To try and make up for his error, he shoves Villa’s captain in the back, and concedes a free-kick right on the cusp of the area.
30'
SAVE! Luiz is teed up by Grealish, 20 yards out. The ex-Manchester City youngster takes a touch to set himself before unleashing a powerful, dipping strike. Dubravka, though, reacts quickly to tip it over.
28'
Shelvey elects to take the free-kick quickly, trying to catch Heaton cold. He doesn’t get enough curl on his effort, though, and the former Burnley goalkeeper gathers it in.
27'
Much to the displeasure of the Villa fans, Lee Mason awards Newcastle a free-kick to the left of the area, deeming Guilbert to have pulled down Saint-Maximin, even though the winger clearly had a hold of the defender’s shirt.
25'
Newcastle have managed to regain a foothold, now, with Shelvey able to get on the ball in midfield and send some decent passes long to Joelinton. Mings is marking Newcastle’s striker tightly, though, and is consistently getting the better of the Brazilian.
19'
It’s still all Villa, and Willems has to make a last-ditch tackle. McGinn robs the ball back in Newcastle’s box, but the referee blows up for a foul.
15'
Villa are upping the pressure, now, with Newcastle’s defence pegged back in their own third. However, a sustained spell of possession from the hosts comes to nothing when McGinn floats a wasteful pass straight out of play.
11'
Newcastle get Saint-Maximin involved, and the former Nice winger displays plenty of skill and pace to beat his marker and drill in a cross, which is deflected into the side netting. The Magpies can’t make anything of the resulting corner, though.
5'
Hourihane’s corner is cleared, but Villa pick up the scraps and work it back to the Republic of Ireland international. His cross is an inviting one, but it is cleared, with Newcastle countering at pace through Almiron. His wait for a first Premier League goal goes on, though, as he blazes over from 25 yards out.
3'
Some ponderous play from Dubravka puts Newcastle on the back foot as the visitors attempt to play it out from the back. Grealish pounces and his Villa team-mates pile forward – Luiz seeing a strike deflected wide for the first corner of the match.
1'
KICK-OFF! Newcastle get proceedings up and running. They go long immediately, with the loose ball falling to Willems. He looks to drill in a flat cross to the near post, but Heaton is able to collect it with ease.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the final Premier League fixture of matchweek 13 as Aston Villa welcome Newcastle United to Villa Park.
Villa were looking up after two successive wins, but three consecutive defeats has seen Dean Smith’s side slip down the table. They sit 17th, though a victory would take them up two places above Everton and West Ham.
Today’s match represents a return to Villa Park for Steve Bruce, who was in charge of the club between 2016 and 2018. His Newcastle side are unbeaten in their last three league outings, winning the previous two matches – against West Ham and Bournemouth – prior to the international break.
ASTON VILLA SUBS: Henri Lansbury, Marvelous Nakamba, Trezeguet, Orjan Nyland, Jonathan Kodja, Ahmed El Mohamady, Kortney Hause.
ASTON VILLA (4-3-3): Tom Heaton; Frederic Guilbert, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Matt Targett; John McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Conor Hourihane; Anwar El Ghazi, Wesley, Jack Grealish.
NEWCASTLE SUBS: Andy Carroll, Dwight Gayle, Christian Atsu, Emil Krafth, Karl Darlow, Fabian Schar, Matty Longstaff.
NEWCASTLE (3-4-3): Martin Dubravka; Federico Fernandez, Ciaran Clark, Paul Dummett; DeAndre Yedlin, Isaac Hayden, Jonjo Shelvey, Jetro Willems; Miguel Almiron, Joelinton, Allan Saint-Maximin.
The teams are out at Villa Park. Bruce has never won any of his games against Smith, his replacement at Villa, but if that run ends tonight then Newcastle will be up into the top half.
Newcastle’s best moments have come from getting Saint-Maximin involved high upfield, but now they must find a way to do that more often and add more bite to their attack if they are to get back in this one.
Villa are up into 15th, leapfrogging Everton and West Ham, who could both be in search for a new manager soon, and moving to a point behind Newcastle, who remain in 14th place.
That’s all we have time for. Until next time, thank you and goodbye!
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