The highly anticipated clash between Aston Villa and Newcastle United at Villa Park ended in a 0-0 draw, marking the first goalless match and red card incident of the Premier League 2025-26 season. The game, held on Saturday, August 16, 2025, saw Aston Villa reduced to ten men after Ezri Konsa's second-half dismissal, but they managed to hold on for a point against a dominant Newcastle side.
Newcastle United started the game strongly, with new signing Anthony Elanga making an immediate impact. Elanga, playing alongside Anthony Gordon in a revamped Newcastle attack, had a clear opportunity within the first three minutes, but his shot was well-saved by Aston Villa's debutant goalkeeper, Marco Bizot. Gordon, deployed in a central role, also proved to be a handful for the Villa defense, creating space and testing Bizot with a deflected shot. Despite Newcastle's early pressure, they failed to convert their chances, with Gordon heading a good opportunity over the bar.
Aston Villa, on the other hand, struggled to gain a foothold in the first half. They looked sluggish in possession and failed to register a single shot in the first 45 minutes. The home side's debutant goalkeeper, Bizot, was called into action on multiple occasions, denying Elanga and Gordon to keep the score level.
The second half saw a slight improvement in Aston Villa's performance. Boubacar Kamara forced a save from Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope early after the restart. However, the game's turning point arrived in the 66th minute when Ezri Konsa was shown a straight red card for pulling back Anthony Gordon, who was through on goal.
Despite being a man down, Aston Villa showed resilience and determination to protect their goal. Matty Cash made a crucial block to deny Harvey Barnes, and the Villa defense managed to withstand Newcastle's late pressure. Newcastle, despite their numerical advantage, failed to find a breakthrough, with Aston Villa securing a hard-fought draw.
The draw extends Aston Villa's unbeaten home run in the Premier League to 19 matches. However, they haven't won consecutive Premier League games against Newcastle since 2004-05. Newcastle, who had won their opening league match in each of the last three seasons, will be disappointed to have dropped points despite their dominance and a late man advantage.
