Newcastle United struggled in front of goal without wantaway striker Alexander Isak as they were held to a frustrating draw by 10-man Aston Villa at Villa Park.
Isak was left out of the squad as he continues to push for a move to defending champions Liverpool, leaving new signing Anthony Elanga to lead the attack.
The Swedish forward looked sharp on the right of Newcastle’s frontline, but the Magpies failed to make their dominance count.
Villa played the final 24 minutes plus stoppage time with 10 men after Ezri Konsa was sent off for pulling down Anthony Gordon, yet Newcastle could not find a breakthrough.
Elanga and Gordon wasted the visitors’ best chances in a dominant first half. Debutant goalkeeper Marco Bizot denied Elanga inside three minutes, while Gordon headed over from close range. Elanga, playing centrally in place of Isak, later forced another smart stop from Bizot.
Villa, passive throughout the opening 45 minutes, failed to register a single shot in the first half, the first home side to do so in a Premier League game since Fulham against Manchester City in May 2024.
However, they improved after the break, with Boubacar Kamara and Ollie Watkins both testing Nick Pope.
After Konsa’s dismissal, Villa dug deep to protect their point, while Newcastle’s lack of cutting edge without Isak was laid bare.
