Newcastle United lost 2-0 at Aston Villa on Monday night.
Newcastle United’s three-game unbeaten run came to an end on Monday night as they lost 2-0 away at Aston Villa.
The Magpies had won their last two games, and were looking to make it three in a row against a Villa side who had been struggling heading into the game.
However, Jack Grealish’s return spurred Villa on, and they took the lead in the first half as Conor Hourihane whipped a free kick into the net following a Grealish lay-off.
Hourihane then turned provider, crossing for Anwar El Ghazi to make it 2-0 as Newcastle fell apart from two set pieces before half time.
Newcastle couldn’t haul themselves back into the game despite pressing forward a little more in the second half, though Tom Heaton did make a good save from Allan Saint-Maximin.
Steve Bruce’s side were so disjointed going forward, and just couldn’t break down a strong Villa back line, with many players coming in for strong criticism.
One such player is midfielder Jonjo Shelvey, who turned in a poor performance against Villa, failing to really dictate play with his passing or close down the Villa midfield.
Some Newcastle fans are praying that West Ham still want Shelvey and want him sold to the Hammers as soon as possible, branding him an ‘absolute liability’ whilst suggesting he should be dropped from the side, possibly even for defender Fabian Schar.
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