Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa sees red as Newcastle draw blank without Isak

Newcastle demonstrated how united they are without Alexander Isak but also how much they miss his goal power. Despite dominating this match, before and after Ezri Konsa was sent off for Aston Villa, Eddie Howe’s men had to settle for a draw against the side they pipped for a Champions League place.

Still hoping to buy Yoane Wissa from Brentford and having let the veteran Callum Wilson leave for free to West Ham, Newcastle played three wingers across their frontline and only brought on Will Osula, the one recognised central striker in their squad, in the 90th minute.

Villa, whose fans vented their frustration at the Premier League for the profitability and sustainability rules that have curtailed deepening their squad this summer, survived a sluggish start to defend manfully for the final quarter of the game when they were a man down and earn their point.

Isak’s continued absence has not helped Newcastle and their fans saved their loudest chant of the day till after the final whistle. “There’s only one greedy bastard,” they sang in unison. And how committed were they and their team throughout this frenetic opening game.

Much of the pre-match chatter was about the moves that have not happened. Villa were about to ease their PSR concerns by selling homegrown Jacob Ramsey to these opponents for an initial £39m, but have been restricted to signing backups, in Evann Guessand, the £26m Ivory Coast striker starting on the bench, and Marco Bizot, the Dutch goalkeeper handed a prompt debut as he deputised for the suspended Emi Martínez.

Villa’s regular custodian was sent off on the final day of last season when their defeat at Manchester United allowed Newcastle to claim English football’s final Champions League place.

Having won the Carabao Cup, their first trophy since 1969, and finished fifth in the Premier League to return to Europe’s elite competition, this should have been a joyous close-season for Newcastle fans. Instead it has been overshadowed by the Isak saga.

Eddie Howe has been obliged to admit that his leading striker’s stance in attempting to force through a move to Liverpool did affect pre-season morale early on and that he could only consider players who wanted to play for Newcastle for selection.

Well, the XI who started at Villa Park clearly did. They dominated this game and should have been ahead by half-time through any one of a plethora of good chances. Their ambition to play in Villa’s half was signalled by Sandro Tonali playing for touch near the corner flag directly from kick-off.

Within three minutes Anthony Elanga was sent clear by Tonali and forced Bizot into a fine save to his right. Even in Isak’s absence, Newcastle had pace to burn across their frontline and Anthony Gordon, playing down the middle, headed over one cross by Harvey Barnes, who soon delivered to the far post for Elanga to slash goalwards a volley that was blocked.

View image in fullscreen Aston Villa’s Marco Bizot and Tyrone Mings were kept particularly busy by Newcastle. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/Reuters

Villa barely had the chance to breathe at this stage. Bizot, signed from Brest, was obliged to show his mettle again as he got down low to his right to parry aside a 20-yard drive from Gordon, who was teed up, once more, by Barnes. Villa, defending deeply, were not getting close enough to their green-shirted opponents.

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It’s not that Villa were especially poor, just that Newcastle were so much more intense. Nick Pope did not have a shot to save in the opening period. Villa’s expected goals at half-time was precisely zero.

Ollie Watkins, who had opened the scoring inside 40 seconds when Newcastle were dismissed 4-1 here in April, gave an outstanding display of forward running down the channels but Villa, apart from Morgan Rogers, simply could not get enough men supporting him. They were too knackered trying to match Newcastle’s energy.

Villa started the second half higher and brighter, and Boubacar Kamara should have done better than to head their first chance, from John McGinn’s right-wing cross, straight at Pope.

After Pope saved from Watkins, at the midpoint of the second half, with Villa finally territorially dominant, Elanga received the ball midway between his own 18-yard line and halfway. Gordon timed his acceleration perfectly and his direction of travel even better. He ran beyond the halfway line and Konsa just as Elanga released his pass and when the England defender grappled Newcastle’s No 10 to impede his run in on goal, Craig Pawson had an easy decision to pull out his red card.

Thereafter, this resembled a training game of attack versus defence. Villa slipped into a 4-4-1 formation and, with Tyrone Mings in the centre of everything, they sensed they could survive. Villa had won their previous nine games when starting with the former England defender. It is at least something from which both teams can build.

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