Aston Villa on Saturday clung on for a battling point on the opening day of the Premier League season, holding Newcastle United to a 0-0 draw at Villa Park despite being reduced to ten men midway through the second half.

Ezri Konsa’s dismissal in the 66th minute for hauling down Anthony Gordon raised hopes of a Magpies victory, but Unai Emery’s side held firm in a dour yet fiercely competitive contest.

Newcastle had dominated much of the first half, carving out a series of chances that should have put them ahead.

Barely two minutes in, Anthony Elanga – making his competitive debut – raced clear on goal, only to be denied by Marco Bizot, the Villa debutant in goal deputising for the suspended Emi Martínez.

Harvey Barnes twice supplied dangerous deliveries from the left, first picking out Gordon, who headed over unmarked, before finding Elanga at the far post, though his volley skewed wide. Gordon himself came closest before the break with a deflected effort that Bizot pushed behind.

Villa were sluggish in the opening half but came alive after the restart.

Boubacar Kamara forced Nick Pope into a save with a firm header early in the second period, while Ollie Watkins drew another stop from the Newcastle keeper after good work by Morgan Rogers.

Just as the hosts seemed to gain momentum, Konsa’s red card changed the dynamic.

Elanga slipped Gordon through on goal, and the centre-back dragged him down as the last man, leaving referee Craig Pawson with little choice but to send him off.

With the numerical advantage, Newcastle poured forward. Barnes fired a fierce volley that Matty Cash bravely blocked, and late pressure had Villa pinned deep in their own half.

Yet the hosts showed resilience, closing ranks to ensure Eddie Howe’s men could not break them down.

In the end, the Magpies’ 2025/26 curtain-raiser ended in a stalemate, Villa taking heart from their defensive resolve and Newcastle left to rue a catalogue of missed chances.

Source: The Punch