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Newcastle manager Steve Bruce\u2019s maiden return to former club Aston Villa ended in a wretched 2-0 Premier League defeat.<\/p>\nNewcastle manager Steve Bruce\u2019s maiden return to former club Aston Villa ended in a wretched 2-0 Premier League defeat.<\/p>\n
Goals from Conor Hourihane and Anwar El Ghazi in the space of four first-half minutes eased Villa\u2019s recent woes after a run of three straight defeats had plunged Dean Smith\u2019s side to one place above the relegation zone.<\/p>\n
Inspired by returning captain Jack Grealish after a month-long absence with a calf injury, Villa ensured it was an unhappy visit back to Villa Park for Bruce, who was sacked in October last year after two years in charge.<\/p>\n
Grealish, sidelined for the 2-1 defeats at home to Liverpool and at Wolves, again provided the spark Villa had been missing in those games.<\/p>\n
In fairness, little had been created by either side in the opening half-hour, with El Ghazi a yard shy of a toe poke onto a piercing low ball into the six-yard box from Matt Targett, while Martin Dubravka produced a stunning fingertip save to deny Douglas Luiz\u2019s fizzing 22-yard right-foot curler.<\/p>\n
Left-back Targett was the victim of a bizarre 20th-minute incident when he vomited on the pitch just after he had taken a throw-in \u2013 but after treatment and water the \u00a315.6million summer signing from Southampton was able to continue.<\/p>\n
Although Villa were always the more threatening side, with the Magpies primarily reliant on the counter-attack, it required two set-piece situations to prise open the visitors.<\/p>\n
The first arrived in the 32nd minute as Grealish raced onto a raking through ball, only for the attacking midfielder to be blatantly pushed in the back by the covering DeAndre Yedlin a yard outside the area.<\/p>\n
It was prime territory for Hourihane, whose first touch was a tap pass to Grealish who in turn stopped the ball dead. The Republic of Ireland international sumptuously whipped around the wall, and the poorly-positioned Dubravka, for his fifth goal of the season.<\/p>\n
Four minutes later Villa doubled their lead, with Grealish again drawing a foul, although it appeared as if he had deliberately caught the outstretched leg of Federico Fernandez.<\/p>\n
On this occasion, Hourihane curled a piercing low ball into the six-yard box, and with Newcastle\u2019s defense leaden-footed, El Ghazi easily stabbed home his fourth goal of the season from three yards.<\/p>\n
It prompted cries from the Villa fans of \u2018Brucey, Brucey what\u2019s the score?\u2019 as the home faithful teased their former boss.<\/p>\n
Villa, though, were then indebted to Tom Heaton for preserving their two-goal cushion just before and after the break. First he pushed away a downward header from Fernandez, before tipping beyond the post a corner-of-the-net-bound 20-yard strike from Allan Saint-Maximin.<\/p>\n
Dubravka responded in the 53rd minute with a brilliant save of his own as his defense again went missing, pushing away a six-yard header from an unmarked Ezri Konsa onto an inswinging Grealish corner.<\/p>\n
In the 77th minute, Dubravka again denied Villa a third, saving from Wesley at point-blank range after another low ball had been played into the six-yard box, this time from Targett.<\/p>\n
Despite Bruce playing all three substitutes, including strikers Andy Carroll and Dwight Gayle, his side were unable to find a way back into the game.<\/p>\n