It was a tough and frustrating day at Villa Park as Newcastle came to town and started looking again like the side of two seasons ago in walking away with all three points.

For a moment, it looked as if Villa had earned at least a draw, but instead of hanging on or going on and getting the winner, it was Newcastle who punched back to regain the advantage, and Villa couldn’t answer.

You’d be forgiven if you found yourself with a distinct sense of déja vu. Villa started the less impressive of the two sides, with Newcastle pressing the issue early. Villa should’ve been happy, as this created space, but the team couldn’t exploit it.

Then Newcastle perhaps got a bit of luck in the how the ball fell to Ben Arfa after Remy had gotten to the line and cut it back, and it was 1-0. Minutes later, Okore chased down Remy and managed to injure himself.

I don’t know what it is about these first goals, they seem to come out of nowhere, are often the opponent’s first real threat, and often involve some sort of strange bounce or breakdown.

To be fair to Newcastle though, there had been threatening signs from both Remy and Ben Arfa, and neither Matthew Lowton nor Tony Moon could be said to have had good halves (or good games, for that matter).

Villa, as is their wont, fashioned a couple late chances, with substitute Ciaran Clark lamely putting it into the side netting when Tim Krul flapped at a Lowton cross and ball found its way through to him. Then Andi Weimann dragged a shot wide across goal at the end of what was Villa’s, and perhaps the game’s best move of the half. He might have put Gabby in instead. Benteke had plenty of touches, but nothing telling, and the couple half-chances that materialized he didn’t take quickly and they disappeared.

And then in the second, Villa did what they do and came out much stronger and should’ve been level when Gabby somehow conspired to miss the goal from a good Weimann cross. But Christian Benteke came good and headed past Krul to draw Villa deservedly level.

The telling moment though came again via Ben Arfa when his shot was parried by Guzan on his only real save of the game and fell to substitute Gouffran, who didn’t miss. One might criticize Lowton, who was nearest, for not keeping better track of the player. One might say Guzan could’ve pushed it wider.

Regardless, that was the decisive moment. The game finished out raggedly as Newcastle kept pressing and didn’t sit back, and Villa simply couldn’t fashion a breakthrough.

Quick version, Villa just didn’t have enough at either fullback position on the day, with Remy and mainly Ben Arfa terrorizing both flanks, and neither Luna nor Lowton covered himself in glory. At the same time, neither Gabby nor Weimann posed a similar threat, and while both worked hard, there was a lot of space to be exploited down the flanks, and neither fullback got much protection.

Delph again had a decent enough game.

Newcastle denied Villa time and space throughout the encounter, and Villa’s corresponding timidity in that department eventually proved decisive. A rough outing following the international break, and disappointing given what we’d seen in from the players in the previous games.

Paul Lambert will definitely have things to work on with the squad in training this week.

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