The Magpies were outplayed throughout at Villa Park with their opponents scoring four goals and also hitting the woodwork on three separate occasions.
Ollie Watkins was Newcastle’s tormentor-in-chief, just as he had been in the same fixture two years earlier, with the England international scoring Villa’s opener and also setting up Ian Maatsen’s goal which restored the home side’s lead after Fabian Schar had headed home an equaliser for the Magpies.
Schar’s goal came five minutes after he might have been sent off for pulling back Watkins, but Newcastle’s defence collapsed as Villa scored two goals in three second-half minutes to confirm their victory.
Dan Burn deflected the ball into his own net after Youri Tielemans flicked Jacob Ramsey’s cross goalwards, before Amadou Onana lashed a shot into the top corner from the edge of the 18-yard box.
Newcastle remain in third place in the table – they will drop to fourth if Nottingham Forest win at Tottenham on Monday night – but they are now just two points clear of sixth-placed Villa with five more games to play.
They could not have made a worse start at Villa Park as they fell behind after just 33 seconds. Sandro Tonali found himself covering in the right-back position, but could only clear to Youri Tielemans. He found Watkins in the left-hand side of the area, and the striker’s shot took a hefty deflection off Schar that wrong-footed Nick Pope.
Villa Park was bouncing, and Watkins came within inches of doubling the home side’s lead just five minutes into the game. Breaking into the left-hand side of the 18-yard box once again, the England international crashed a fiercely-hit drive against the underside of the crossbar.
Newcastle were reeling, and Schar was perhaps fortunate to only pick up a yellow card in the 13th minute when he pulled back Watkins to prevent the striker breaking clear again. Schar was the last man, so Jarred Gillett could easily have determined the offence worthy of a straight red card. The fact that Watkins was perhaps not getting to the through ball was probably the factor that kept Schar on the field.
It was a crucial moment, as just five minutes later, Schar was levelling the scores with his third goal from his last two visits to Villa Park. Harvey Barnes turned back onto his right foot and hung up a deep cross to the back post, and having been left completely unmarked, Schar headed home through the legs of Emi Martinez.
Newcastle’s goal was completely against the run of play, and they were fortunate to remain on level terms when Watkins hit the woodwork for a second time just before the half-hour mark.
Marco Asensio’s free-kick picked out the England international, and he thumped a header against Pope’s right-hand upright.
The action was frenetic, and Newcastle threatened at the other end shortly after when Tonali fired in a low 20-yard shot that Martinez turned around the post.
Pope was called into action to make a similar save from Morgan Rogers shortly before half-time, and the Newcastle goalkeeper did well again at the start of the second half as he was smartly off his line to prevent John McGinn from rounding him after Morgan Rogers had slipped the Scottish midfielder into the box.
Pope was becoming a key figure, and the Newcastle goalkeeper denied McGinn just after the hour mark after Boubacar Kamara’s through ball had sent the midfielder breaking through the middle of the Magpies defence.
Villa were much the better side in the second half, and their dominance was finally rewarded in the 64th minute. Watkins sent Maatsen away on the overlap on Villa’s left, and with Kieran Trippier and Jacob Murphy both found wanting defensively, the full-back hammered a fine finish past Pope.
The hosts deserved their lead, and it did not take them long to add to it. Ramsey had only been on the field for two minutes as a substitute when he slid over a low cross from the left, and when Tielemans flicked the ball into Burn, the Newcastle centre-half could only deflect the ball into his own net.
Two minutes later, and Villa were celebrating a fourth. Schar conceded possession, and while Pope saved from Rogers, the former Middlesbrough loanee kept the ball alive and teed up Onana, who lashed a superb strike into the top corner from the edge of the area.
Ramsey curled against the post as Villa threatened to extend their lead even further, with Newcastle relieved when the final whistle finally blew.
