Manzambi haunts Newcastle as Aston Villa edge St James’ Park contest

Johan Manzambi came back to haunt Newcastle United by scoring the winning goal in Aston Villa’s 1-0 Premier League victory at St James’ Park, as reported by Sky Sports.​ The 21-year-old midfielder, who had agreed to join Newcastle during the summer before making a late switch to Villa, headed home the decisive goal in the 36th minute from a cross by Gomes.​

The defeat extended Newcastle’s defensive struggles, setting a new club record of 16 consecutive matches in all competitions without a clean sheet under manager Matthias Jaissle. The match was not without controversy, as Newcastle defender Sven Botman avoided a red card following a VAR review for a reckless challenge on Nicolas Jackson.​

Despite a second-half strike from Botman that forced a fingertip save from Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, Newcastle managed just one shot on target and were booed by home supporters at full-time.