The Boxing Day encounter between Newcastle United and Aston Villa was far from over when referee Anthony Taylor blew the halftime whistle. What followed was a dramatic outburst, as tensions that had built up during a heated first half exploded in the narrow tunnel at St James’ Park.
The catalyst for the chaos was a red card for Villa’s Jhon Duran, followed by an intense exchange between Unai Emery and Newcastle’s Jason Tindall. As both teams headed for the tunnel, emotions boiled over, resulting in Tindall and Villa analyst Victor Manas both being sent off. Neither returned for the second half, and when Emery was asked about the incident after his team’s 3-0 loss, he brushed it off, stating simply, “Nothing more.”
According to an eyewitness, the confrontation involved around 20 people, with players and staff from both sides scrambling to separate those involved. Eddie Howe, who was further up the pitch and unaware of the scuffle, later emphasized the need to “stand up for what you think is right and protect each other.” He added, “If you’re going to send him [Tindall] off, you could probably send 10 to 15 people off.”
Newcastle’s fighting spirit wasn’t just evident in the tunnel. On the pitch, they demonstrated their resilience. When Duran stamped on Fabian Schar in the first half, the Magpies reacted forcefully. Martin Dubravka shoved Duran away, Joelinton stood up to him, and Dan Burn gave him a pointed glare. This determination mirrored the team’s combative attitude, which had been crucial to their fourth-place finish in 2023. On Boxing Day, those qualities helped Newcastle leapfrog both Villa and champions Manchester City to reach fifth place, thanks to goals from Anthony Gordon, Alexander Isak, and Joelinton.
It’s a remarkable turnaround for Newcastle, who had been languishing in the bottom half of the table just weeks ago. After a 4-2 loss to Brentford, Howe focused on backing his players rather than criticizing them, making strategic adjustments that have since paid off. The team has now won four consecutive matches across all competitions, scoring 11 goals and keeping three clean sheets in their last three league games. With only five points separating them from third-place Nottingham Forest, they are in a strong position as the halfway point of the season approaches.
Anthony Gordon, who had described Newcastle as “nearly men” last month, was now brimming with confidence. “We’re not nearly men anymore,” he declared. The England international emphasized the need for focus and avoiding complacency, a sentiment shared by Howe, who immediately began reviewing the match to identify areas for improvement before Newcastle’s upcoming trip to Old Trafford. It’s a challenge for Manchester United, who are coming off back-to-back defeats to Wolves and Bournemouth.
Newcastle’s fast start against Villa set the tone for the match. In just 75 seconds, Sandro Tonali intercepted the ball from Boubacar Kamara, and Bruno Guimaraes played a key role in launching Joelinton forward. As Villa defenders hesitated, Joelinton found Anthony Gordon, who cut inside and fired a powerful shot past Emiliano Martinez to give Newcastle a dream start.
Villa struggled to respond, with their only real opportunity coming midway through the first half when Lucas Digne’s free-kick was saved by Martin Dubravka. Matty Cash then blazed the rebound over the bar, and that was as close as Villa came to scoring with 11 players on the field. Things only worsened for them after Duran’s red card.
At the 32-minute mark, Duran was sent off for stamping on Schar following a race for the ball. Referee Taylor had no choice but to show him a straight red card. Villa were visibly shaken, and moments later, Bruno Guimaraes muscled Youri Tielemans off the ball and set up Tonali, whose shot was pushed wide by Martinez.
Newcastle’s dominance continued in the second half. In the 62nd minute, Bruno Guimaraes played a brilliant pass to Jacob Murphy, who crossed for Alexander Isak to tap in Newcastle’s second.
The Magpies pushed forward relentlessly. In one instance, Martinez made a mistake, passing straight to Joelinton, whose shot was blocked by Amadou Onana. The ball fell to Murphy, but his attempt rattled the crossbar. Soon after, Tonali made a clever reverse pass to Lewis Hall, whose cross was met by substitute Harvey Barnes. The ball was cleared off the line by Ezri Konsa but ricocheted off Bruno and into the net. However, after a VAR review, the goal was ruled out for a handball.
Newcastle’s persistence finally paid off in the dying minutes. In the 89th minute, Onana made another mistake, passing the ball directly to Joelinton, who, with little pressure from Villa’s defenders, fired a clinical shot into the net to seal a 3-0 victory. By that point, Villa had little left to give.
