Aston Villa Holds Newcastle to a Draw After Playing with 10 Men

Aston Villa held Newcastle United to a goalless draw (0-0) in the first week of the 2025/2026 Premier League at Villa Park Stadium, Birmingham, Saturday (16/8/2025).

According to the official Premier League website, Aston Villa had to play with ten men from the 66^(th) minute onwards, after defender Ezri Konsa was sent off by referee Craig Pawson.

Despite playing with fewer men, Aston Villa managed to keep their goal intact until the final whistle. This result puts Villa temporarily in second place in the 2025/2026 Premier League standings with one point, while Newcastle are third.

Statistically, Newcastle were the dominant team, with 60 per cent possession and 16 shots, but they failed to penetrate Villa’s tight defence.

Newcastle took the initiative in attack from the start. Anthony Elanga threatened with a powerful shot, but Villa’s goalkeeper, Marco Bizot, made a brilliant save. Another chance came from Anthony Gordon’s free kick, but Bizot was alert again.

Eddie Howe’s team continued to attack the home defence, with Gordon shooting from inside the penalty area, but Bizot was the main obstacle once again. The score remained 0–0 at half-time.

At the start of the second half, Aston Villa attempted a comeback with a header from Boubacar Kamara, which was saved by Newcastle’s goalkeeper, Nick Pope. Another chance came through Youri Tielemans’ shot, which went just wide.

The situation changed in the 66^(th) minute when Konsa was sent off for fouling Gordon during a swift counter-attack. With their numerical advantage, Newcastle pressed hard, but Villa’s disciplined defence thwarted every opportunity until the final whistle.

The match ended in a 0–0 draw, leaving both teams with a point at the end of the opening week of the Premier League season.