The Newcastle United Blog | Trippier’s free-kick gives Newcastle a 1-0 lead over Villa at the break

Another superb free-kick from Kieran Trippier separates Newcastle and Aston Villa at St. James’ Park. The substitute captain gave the Magpies the lead in the 35th minute of a game that was very stop-start with few quality moments.

Eddie Howe once again put the guys in a 4-3-3 with a back four from Trippier, Schar, Burn and Manquillo. The midfield consisted of Shelvey, Joelinton and Joe Willock. Fraser was on the left, Saint-Maximin on the right as Wood led the line.

Newcastle came out of the blocks very quickly playing at a high pace. Fabian Schar was slammed by Trippier in the fifth minute requiring lengthy treatment on the pitch. The Swiss defender was able to continue.

Newcastle’s first chance came in the 12th minute. An excellent pass from Schar freed Fraser on the right. The winger’s cross was too close to Emi Martinez, who won the ball easily.

The match continued as a messy affair devoid of quality. Saint-Maximin only had a few touches and couldn’t influence the game in the first 20 minutes. The match was very balanced, with nothing separating the two teams.

In the 27th minute, Fraser was released on the right. The winger cut inside the left foot before firing a cross into the box. Wood stretched but could only make eye contact with the ball as it drifted well away from the target.

Five minutes later, Willock entered the box and was taken down by the back leg of Callum Chambers. VAR revealed the initial contact was outside the box after it was ruled a penalty. Trippier came forward and blasted the ball through the wall where a slight deflection put it into the net to make it 1-0 at Newcastle.

After a prolonged fight with an ankle injury, Javier Manquillo was taken down deep in injury time. Paul Dummett came on at left-back. Manquillo had signaled to the sideline that he needed to step down for a while.

Newcastle turned up the pressure on Villa just before Trippier’s goal. It continued for a few minutes after, but Manquillo’s struggles hampered Newcastle’s momentum. Aston Villa finished the half strong with plenty of chances they couldn’t take advantage of.