Sandro Tonali emerged as the hero for Newcastle United, scoring twice in the second half to secure a dramatic 3-1 comeback victory over ten-man Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round at Villa Park.
The tie swung on a moment of madness just before the interval, when Villa goalkeeper Marco Bizot was shown a straight red card, completely altering the trajectory of a contest that had been firmly in the home side’s control.
For much of the first half, Unai Emery’s plans appeared to be working to perfection. The opening goal arrived in the 14th minute, a testament to clever training-ground work.
Douglas Luiz, making his third consecutive start since his loan return, delivered a deft free-kick over the Newcastle wall. The pass caught the defence flat-footed, allowing Tammy Abraham to chest the ball down and lift it over goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale for his first goal since rejoining the club.
Replays suggested Abraham was a yard offside, but with VAR not in operation until the fifth round, the goal stood, much to the frustration of the Newcastle contingent.
Villa looked comfortable and threatened to extend their lead. Leon Bailey headed wide from a promising position, and Luiz himself rifled a long-range effort just over the crossbar. Meanwhile, Newcastle struggled to carve out clear opportunities against a well-organized Villa defence.
However, the game’s complexion changed irrevocably in first-half stoppage time. Lucas Digne had already escaped with a yellow card for a high, late challenge on Jacob Murphy that pundits Alan Shearer and Dion Dublin later described as “very dangerous” and worthy of a red.
Then came the decisive moment. A hoisted pass from Harvey Barnes released Murphy down the right channel, and Bizot, racing fully 40 yards from his line, recklessly scythed the winger down.
The referee had no choice but to produce a red card, reducing Villa to ten men. As Bizot trudged off, applauding the crowd, BBC co-commentator Danny Murphy questioned the gesture, remarking, “I’m not sure why he’s clapping anybody”.
Leon Bailey was the unfortunate substitute sacrificed as Emiliano MartÃnez was introduced in goal.
The numerical advantage told in the second half. Newcastle, now with a firm grip on possession, pushed for an equalizer. They were almost handed a golden chance when Digne appeared to handle Kieran Trippier’s cross inside the area, but the referee awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box, a decision replays suggested was incorrect.
From the resulting set-piece, the ball was worked to Tonali on the edge of the area. His drilled effort took a crucial deflection off Douglas Luiz, leaving MartÃnez with no chance and nestling into the net to make it 1-1 in the 63rd minute.
The goal liberated the visitors, and Tonali took centre stage once more with 14 minutes remaining. Picking the ball up on the edge of the box, the Italian unleashed a venomous, low drive that screamed through a crowd of players and flew into the bottom-left corner, giving MartÃnez no time to react.
It was a finish of the highest quality, capping a personal display of immense influence. Tonali became the first Newcastle player to score two goals from outside the box in a single game since October 2016.
Any remote hope of a Villa fightback was extinguished two minutes from time. A sloppy pass across his own box by Lamare Bogarde was intercepted by substitute Joe Willock. He teed up birthday boy Nick Woltemade, who smashed the ball high into the roof of the net to compound Villa’s misery and seal a 3-1 victory for the Magpies.
The win sends Newcastle into the fifth-round draw and provides a significant morale boost following a difficult run of away form.