Aston Villa 2-0 Newcastle United

Ollie Watkins and Bertrand Traore fired Aston Villa to a 2-0 Premier League victory over Newcastle United.

Watkins set Villa on their way in the 13^th minute when he headed home his ninth goal of the season in all competitions and first since early November.

Traore added a sublime second just before half-time, converting off the underside of the crossbar after a one-two with Jack Grealish for his fourth goal in his last six games.

Victory at Villa Park sealed the club’s first points of 2021 and, in the process, secured a league-high ninth clean sheet of the campaign to date.

The Villans are now on 29 points from 17 matches, with a trip to Turf Moor to face Burnley next up on Wednesday.

Marvelous Nakamba earned his second Premier League start of the season, replacing the suspended John McGinn, as Dean Smith made one change from the midweek defeat at Manchester City, with the Villa head coach himself watching from the directors’ box following his dismissal at the Etihad Stadium.

The hosts dominated the opening stages, Matt Targett testing Karl Darlow from distance, before the left-back turned provider for Villa’s opener with a left-wing cross which a sliding Fabian Schar could only deflect up into the air and Watkins rose to head home from six yards.

Watkins thought he had doubled his tally just after the half-hour mark only to be denied by the offside flag, but there was no stopping Traore’s 42^nd-minute finish.

Newcastle could only half clear Grealish’s corner to the edge of the penalty area, Traore found the Villa skipper down the left and he reversed the ball back to the onrushing, in-form wide man who side-footed into the top corner off the underside of the crossbar.

Watkins forced a smart save from Darlow at the start of the second half, Douglas Luiz sending a follow-up effort narrowly wide.

The home side pressed in search of a third goal while Newcastle searched for a route back into the clash at the other end but neither goalkeeper was seriously tested as the second half wore on.

Darlow denied substitute Trezeguet, who was making his return to action, with the final action of the encounter as Villa kept the visitors at bay and saw the game out to secure only their second win in the last 15 meetings with the Magpies.

Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett, Luiz, Nakamba, Traore (Trezeguet 80), Barkley (El Ghazi 80), Grealish (Ramsey 88), Watkins.

Subs: Heaton, Taylor, Guilbert, Engels, Elmohamady, Davis.