Newcastle vs Aston Villa match report: Garde sees light at end of tunnel after draw

Newcastle United 1 Aston Villa 1

(Getty Images)

Aston Villa began the day eights points from safety and ended it 10 points off, but this could hardly be described as even close to their worst day of the season. The maths say Villa will go down, but on sodden Tyneside Rémi Garde saw some spark from his beleaguered players.

It took until the second half but, trailing 1-0 at half-time due to Fabricio Coloccini’s goal, Villa showed spirit to fight back.

Jordan Ayew scored a cracker of an individual equaliser and he and substitute Rudy Gestede gave Villa momentum against a Newcastle side losing theirs after victories over Liverpool and Tottenham.

Villa still have not won since the season’s opening day, but this display gives Garde something to cling to. Garde’s priority was to get his players established in the game: it was important not to concede an early goal. To this end, Villa sat deep in numbers and invited Newcastle on.

Fabricio Coloccini scores the opening goal for Newcastle against Aston Villa (Getty Images)

McClaren’s team attacked down the right, through Daryl Janmaat and Moussa Sissoko, but Villa’s compact defence, and the lack of home variety, meant it was half an hour before a real chance was carved out.

Unsurprisingly, it came from a Janmaat cross, but Papiss Cisse headed straight at Brad Guzan.

It was Cisse’s last involvement as he appeared to injure a hamstring. Six minutes later his replacement, Aleksandar Mitrovic, produced another header that Guzan stretched to tip over.

From the resulting corner, taken by Siem De Jong the ball skidded off the soaked turf and reached Coloccini 12 yards out. The Argentinian’s steady strike was enough to beat Guzan and nestle in the corner for his first goal for more than a year.

When Jordan Veretout rattled Rob Elliot’s palms at the start of the second half, it wasVilla’s first serious effort – and six minutes later Ayew volleyed over. On 56 minutes, De Jong should have made it 2-0. But somehow, from four yards out, the Dutchman’s header from Georginio Wijnaldum’s chip went wide.

Jordan Ayew equalised with a fantastic curling effort (Getty Images)

McClaren’s frustration had begun to showed and he substituted De Jong substituted. At the same time, Garde introduced Rudy Gestede for the anonymous Scott Sinclair.

Gestede gave Villa a fresh physical focus. Now they were asking Newcastle different questions and the answers were not wholly convincing.

Just past the hour Veretout swung in a deep cross. Ayew controlled it at the far post, then skipped away from Janmatt and from a much better angle drilled a 20-yard shot that crashed into the net high and beyond Elliot.

Newcastle: (4-2-3-1) Elliot; Janmaat, Mbemba, Coloccini, Dummett; Anita (Thauvin 71), Colback; Sissoko, De Jong (Perez 60), Wijnaldum; Cisse (Mitrovic 33)

Aston Villa: (4-1-4-1) Guzan; Hutton, Okore, Lescott, Bacuna; Sanchez; Westwood, Veretout, Gueye, Sinclair (Gestede 60); Ayew

Referee: Martin Atkinson

Match rating: 5/10

Man of match: Ayew (Aston Villa)

Match rating: 5/10