The last time I enjoyed a Boxing Day game as much as this was…

The Mag

·27 de diciembre de 2024

The last time I enjoyed a Boxing Day game as much as this was…

Merry Christmas everyone!

It certainly felt like a jolly time on Tyneside after three straight wins with no shortage of style, swish and swashbuckle about them and I was telling everyone who’d listen that this was an excellent opportunity to extend that positive run.

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Villa’s record here is atrocious, with their only two wins in the PL era coming when United had people sent off, with no less than four Mags seeing red cards in those defeats.

In that same time period they had lost 18 games and drawn eight, so history was firmly on our side.

Perhaps more relevant, was the agonisingly familiar look of a side weary from the exertions of an extensive Champions League campaign. Villa have had some tremendous nights and have every chance of advancing to the knockout outs, but are starting to shows signs of flagging in the Premier League, as the busy Christmas schedule piles more on a squad that is probably lacking the depth for battling on all fronts. Like I say, familiar.

Winning today was extremely doable, especially if United maintained the relentless form of the previous few games. The answer as to whether this would be the case, came very quick indeed.

Sandro Tonali, outstanding again today, dispossessed Villa in midfield and the counter set Joelinton steaming towards goal with terrified Villa defenders flailing in his wake. It looked for all the world like Joe was going to shoot, but at the edge of the box he laid it off to Gordon in space. Gordon has looked back to his best in this recent run and his strike across goal and into the opposite top corner was a classic from last season’s vintage, with no chance for the World Cup winning keeper. two minutes in and on our way.

Speaking of looking like your old self, Martin Dubravka hadn’t had to work too hard to be on course for a third straight clean sheet, but with Villa setting up a well positioned free kick, he did well to get across and beat away Digne’s decent effort. Hopefully continued confidence growing for the Slovak number one, whatever the new year holds. Now, apparently Jhon Duran being stood down from taking this free kick resulted in him having a little bit of a tantrum, which may or may not have had been a factor in subsequent events.

Tonali’s imperious form has been the key to our recent revival and it’s difficult to look past him for man of the match consideration at the minute, but having had a quick glance at people’s contenders, I’m a bit shocked that Fabian Schar hasn’t at least had an honourable mention. When United were awarded a promising free kick of their own there was understandable enthusiasm for the returning Kieran Trippier to step up. Instead it was Schar who went close to extending the lead, firing low and hard through the wall but falling short of beating Martinez.

With Villa on the counter, Fab then switched gears to demonstrate his defensive excellence, making up ground on Duran before producing a sublime sliding tackle to nick the ball away to safety. With Schar grounded as a result of his efforts, Duran found himself marauding around off balance like the Tasmanian Devil. He landed heavily on his left foot before stretching out with his right and planting it square in Fab’s lower back.

The reactions of ridiculous Villa fans and managers, citing this as being unavoidable momentum are shocking, as Duran clearly had the time to consider where to put his second foot and could comfortably have landed it on the opposite side of Schar. Emery has gone from publicly citing how Duran’s bad temper needs kept in check, to choosing to overlook an implosion in a manner that wilfully ignores the dangers of being booted in the spine. Duran deserved his red card and the nice fat suspension that follows, and he showed how misunderstood and poorly treated he is, by booting a water bottle in a big bairn’s huff as he walked off.

This changed the game entirely, as United had been in control, but you never feel totally comfortable at 1-0. The rest of the match was fish in a barrel as we attacked mercilessly against another side committed to playing out from the back and getting found out entirely.

There were some tremendous moments, such as Joelinton’s attempt at a header leaving Matty Cash a crumpled broken heap of a man and Isak’s mazy touchline run tying John McGinn in knots. A similar Isak run on the opposite side saw him then pick out Joelinton to score, only for the flag to go up. Turns out Isak had run it right out of play, although I bet somewhere Mikel Arteta was fuming (funny). Bruno then did brilliantly to dispossess the defence and play in Tonali, but Martinez was equal to his first time effort, Villa lucky to go in at half time still in the game.

Second half was much more of the same. Martinez reacted to smother Isak snapshot, but the Swede wasn’t to be denied his seventh goal in five games. Bruno’s outside of the foot slide ball to play Murphy in behind was utter filth, and yet another goal involvement for Murphy as he slid it across to present Isak with a tap in. Two nil was a real settler, as you can get antsy at 1-0 against ten men.

Villa got away with it today as this should have been a bigger spanking than last year. Isak was denied his second for a narrow offside, ensuring he was level with the last defender but seeming to miss the fact that Martinez had moved in front of him. Then Bruno was robbed of the goal his performance deserved, Hall’s ball into the box creating havoc that ended with Konsa blasting it off Bruno and into the goal. Replays show it hit his elbow but the fact it then diverted in off Digne should have seen the goal stand for me.

Number three did arrive though in stoppage time, with our other Brazilian the beneficiary of some sloppy Villa play this time. Onana’s tired pass out of defence went straight to Joelinton and he advanced, before hitting a top corner effort of such power and precision that Martinez didn’t even move.

I think the last time I enjoyed a Boxing Day game as much as this was around 2001 when Bobby Robson’s table toppers despatched Boro by the same score. United utterly dominant and things just got better post match, with just about every other result falling right to catapult us into that potential Champions League spot in fifth.

Getting home to see our next opponents lose two key players to suspension while once again demonstrate how dreadful they are, was a nice cherry on the top. Victory at Old Trafford beckons, if we can treat the other team as the lower table mess they are, as opposed to the mighty Man Utd they once were. The swagger and impudence of last years League Cup win please, not showing too much respect like last season’s poor league performance.

This is shaping up to be a magnificent end to 2024, let’s keep it up and maybe 2025 will be the big year. HWTL.

Newcastle 3 Aston Villa 0 – Thursday 26 December 3pm

(Stats via BBC Sport)

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Gordon 2, Isak 59, Joelinton 90+1

Villa:

Duran red card 32

(In brackets the half-time stats)

Possession was Newcastle 63% (62%) Villa 37% (38%)

Total shots were Newcastle 22 (9) Villa 4 (3)

Shots on target were Newcastle 8 (4) Villa 1 (1)