Aston Villa

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

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Jhon Duran has been responsible for some great moments for Aston Villa this season.

He has scored 12 times this season in all competitions, often coming on as an impact sub, none more memorably than when he scored the only goal as Villa beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

But Duran's 32nd-minute straight red card for violent conduct ended Villa's chances of getting something from an already difficult task away at Newcastle.

Villa were already 1-0 down, after Anthony Gordon's superb curled strike inside the opening 80 seconds, when Duran was dismissed.

Referee Anthony Taylor ruled the Colombia striker had deliberately stamped on Schar's back after the Newcastle defender had slid in for a challenge, although 21-year-old Duran, who later kicked a water bottle in frustration, claimed the contact had been accidental.

Unai Emery thought the video assistant referee should have got involved and urged Taylor to review the decision, while many believed Duran deserved to be sent off. Only he knows whether the contact was deliberate but there is no question the red card was costly.

Newcastle pair Alexander Isak and Joelinton added further goals on a miserable afternoon for Villa, who will now have to do without Duran for their next three matches.

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Aston Villa manager Unai Emery to Prime Video: "Newcastle here are very strong and circumstances happened in the match which were key for the result."

On the red card to Jhon Duran: "Always I am supporting VAR but you have to use VAR. Today the red card was clear for the referee straight away, he was the only person in the stadium who couldn't take his time. He has to be intelligent to take time and get the right decision.

"In this case you have to use the VAR. He has to be smart, and calm. It has to be like that.

"The red card more or less kills the game, it changes it completely.

"I do not know what happened at half-time."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

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Come back to this page on Friday to find a selection of your replies

There are eight matches in the Premier League on Thursday, and we will bring you every moment.

• Manchester City v Everton (12:30)

• Bournemouth v Crystal Palace

• Chelsea v Fulham

• Newcastle v Aston Villa

• Nottingham Forest v Tottenham

• Southampton v West Ham

• Wolves v Manchester United (17:30)

• Liverpool v Leicester (20:00)

Kick-off time 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all the action and reaction here

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against a variety of guests.

This week, he takes on Eats Everything, aka DJ and producer Daniel Pearce.

Sutton's prediction: 3-1

Newcastle seem to be hitting a bit of form - as I predicted, although I don't like to mention it - and Alexander Isak looks unstoppable at the moment. It just shows that people should never write off Magpies manager Eddie Howe.

Aston Villa were comfortable in their win against Manchester City on Saturday, and I love what Morgan Rogers is doing for them this season.

Villa manager Unai Emery has a nice headache up front, to choose between Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran, and it means they have always got goals in them.

It is Newcastle I am going with here, though. They seem to be building real momentum although I guess there is the risk I am reading too much into them being so comfortable against little Ipswich Town at the weekend.

They were ruthless at Portman Road, and I think they will be ruthless at home against Villa too.

Eats Everything's prediction: 0-2

This is a tough one because both sides have been very up and down this season, and they both had good wins at the weekend.

I am not going to say Newcastle have been 'Spursy' but they seem to be either really good, or terrible - so I am going to go with Villa here. I don't really know why, it is just a feeling I have got.

Read the full predictions and have your say

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For me, wherever I played, I'd always see where the first game was, where the last game was, and where we were at Christmas.

There is such a big difference between being at home on Boxing Day versus being away because, depending on what your manager is like, if you've got an away game there is a chance you're training on Christmas Day.

Some of the toughest times I had was when we had away games on Boxing Day and we had to come in to train at four or five on Christmas. That's when everything is just starting at home and everyone is really enjoying themselves and you have to leave.

If you lose you are sat in the hotel having walked away from friends and family all for no points. It's not the best feeling and as a consequence you bring home some of that disappointment with you.

But, in reality, you just know it is the busiest time of the year. The floodlights are always on for the games, the conditions get that little bit tougher, you've got games it feels like every three or four days.

I think it's an exciting part of the season because you can gain real, significant momentum but ultimately it comes down to are you winning games.

I think the Christmas period itself can be tough if you have got family but in reality it always feels nicer when you get that win on Boxing Day. The atmosphere in the stadiums is a little bit different, the atmosphere among the players is a bit different.

You're very thankful to get the chance to do what you do, but if you end up losing on Boxing Day or around that spell it is rubbish because it almost feels like it was a waste of time with all the efforts you put in.

But, I get it. The fans love it, there is a lot of clamour around it. You lose track of days just like everyone else does after Christmas and before New Year but it is great to play in front of those types of crowds and it just does feel different playing during that week or two.

Nedum Onuoha was speaking to BBC Sport's Nat Hayward

David Michael
Fan writer

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When it comes to Aston Villa's moment of the year, there's really only one choice: Jhon Duran's cracking winner in the 1-0 home victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

In their 150th anniversary season, it was something of a statement - a triumphant return to Europe's top tier competition after a 42-year absence.

The goal was so iconic that the club sold pieces of the net the ball hit as memorabilia - 500 pieces each fetching £60 from eager fans, who seemingly had change from the controversial £94-£97 general admission ticket prices some were required to pay to witness the historic moment.

The goal symbolised so much of what is positive about Villa, both in the present and in the broader context of their resurgence.

For Duran, just 20 years old at the time, it encapsulated his audacious talent and legitimised his burgeoning reputation which earned him a new contract shortly after. For Unai Emery's team, it marked a rite of passage - a powerful demonstration of what his team are capable of achieving.

The goal also served as a poignant reminder of what Aston Villa could and should represent.

After years of tarnished reputation and unfulfilled potential, it was a moment of pride for a new generation of supporters who have had precious few memories of their club at its best. For older fans, it provided a through line from their favourite memories of the past to the present.

Since that ball flew past Manuel Neuer into the net, it feels like anything is now possible for Aston Villa.

Find more from David Michael at My Old Man Said, external

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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We all know that creeping feeling on the back of your neck, when you see something is going badly wrong and you slowly realise it might just be your fault. I wonder who is feeling this most at Manchester City just now.

As the first team creaks and groans with age, eyes must be on at least two of the perfect replacements, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers, who had literally been available under their noses for free all along, and they let them go.

Pep Guardiola bats it off as best he can and there is the old PSR argument for having sold Palmer, but in reality it is an utter embarrassment.

It hasn't quite reached Chelsea proportions. They once thought getting rid of Kevin de Bruyne and Mo Salah for a combined profit of around £10m, was the height of good sense. That's the gold standard of short sighted business decisions, but City's recent howler looks bad enough.

Rogers was man of the match against City at the weekend and I have heard it said that all he has to do now is up his goal count. This misunderstands his particular brilliance completely. It is the fact that he is not a purely selfish striker that sets him apart from others and why the likes of Jhon Duran and Ollie Watkins are desperate to work with him.

The pass for Duran's goal on Saturday was classic Rogers. Most other strikers would have shot themselves, but he knew that passing was the better percentage option for a team goal.

That is why it will rarely be Duran and Watkins up front together but always Rogers twinned with one of the other two. And it is why his goal scoring stats should never be considered the main thing.

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Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has demanded "more" from Morgan Rogers after his fine recent performances.

The 22-year-old scored and assisted in Saturday's win over Manchester City to make it five goals and four assists so far this season in a campaign in which he has also made his senior England debut.

"Collectively and individually [we have targets]," Emery said in his news conference before Villa's visit to Newcastle on Boxing Day.

"We will need his numbers and, more or less, he is getting it. I am very demanding with him, with the team, with myself.

"[I am demanding] with Morgan because he is very important for us but I need his performance every match we are playing with different objective. Sometimes playing number 10, sometimes playing on the left-hand side, defensively, offensively, sometimes assists, sometimes score goals and get in the box. Try to work on the link with our midfielders and defenders when we are progressing the ball.

"He has a lot of responsibility in my eyes and my style. I am trying to push him a lot. I am happy with him but I want more from him."

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Premier League game at Newcastle (15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Asked if the Magpies are their main rivals for Champions League qualification, Emery replied: "We are in a good balance in the table but we are a long way from what we want to do. Newcastle are behind us by two points but we are not now in the top four. We are only facing them thinking they are our opponent now."

• On the Magpies: "They are now in top form. They played Champions League two years ago. The objective is clear for them to be in Europe. It will be a difficult game."

• On the job Eddie Howe is doing at St James' Park: "He was doing a fantastic job at Bournemouth. His Newcastle team is very dynamic, they like to play aggressively in attack. They like to do a lot of duels on the field with the players man to man. They beat us last year two times and I respect him a lot."

• He is pleased with the form of Morgan Rogers: "He has a lot of responsibility in my eyes. I am trying to push him a lot. We will need his numbers. More or less he is getting it. I am very demanding with him because he is very important for us. I am happy with him but I want more from him."

• Emery is happy with his midfield options: "We are building a team. Amadou Onana is getting better. Boubacar Kamara is coming back really, really strong and feeling comfortable after injury. We have to try to use our players with the combinations we can have. Yuri Tielemans can play as a six, eight and sometimes 10. With Ross Barkley we are thinking the same."

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Aston Villa and Manchester City.

Here are some of your comments:

Villa fans

Clive: A solid performance and a structure that worked well. We were patient in defence and fast in attack. Excellent all-round throughout the game. We deserved a clean sheet and only a stumble on the ball gave them the goal.

Kit: Villa were outstanding in possession. Their ability to hold off tackles and run with the ball is what undid Manchester City. Rogers was the prime example of going past players to keep attacks in midfield and around City's box. It was like watching a class Real Madrid team. A fantastic game in which City had no answer and were second-class from start to finish.

Tony: Brilliant display. Kamara is so important for us. Onana gave us a rock-solid platform in central midfield. Tielemans pulled the strings in a more advanced number 10 role.

Mark: The best Villa performance of the season. Rogers and Duran are a formidable pairing up front.

Colin: We have seen Villa play like this before. As Emery says, consistency counts. If we maintain this, top four is guaranteed. City weren't so poor but they were simply outplayed by a team of underrated players. City will recover, but Villa can finish above them this season. A good feeling!

City fans

Anton: After nine years, teams have worked out a simple way to beat Manchester City's press and high line. After five defeats, Guardiola said it was up to him to find a solution - which he hasn't done. More plan A isn't working. In the past five years, City's build-up play has got slower and slower. The signs were there last season when Haaland had a goal drought.

Tony: Erling Haaland contributes almost nothing to City. He only scores when the opportunity is given to him on a plate. He does nothing to help the team defend, even in midfield. City may as well play most of their games with nine outfield players.

Steve: Sadly, age has caught up with the bulk of this team and it is a constant cycle of recurring injuries. We definitely need some fresh legs in the January transfer window. The only thing that really disappoints me are so-called City fans questioning Pep. There is nobody I would rather have looking to get us through this tough patch than him.

John: Disgusting from the players, no fight or passion. The club and Pep are to blame for this situation. It is bad management from Pep, allowing players to leave and not replacing them with quality. This is a dead season now and I can't wait for it to be over.

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Former Premier League defender Ashley Williams praised Aston Villa's midfield set-up in their 2-1 win over Manchester City, which left the reigning Premier League champions unable "to counter-attack at all".

Speaking on Match of the Day, Williams said: "The game was won in midfield - Kamara, Rogers, Onana, Tielemans and McGinn were superb.

"They played so close together and they worked so hard together. They just swarmed Manchester City so that any time they had the ball in the advanced areas, if it wasn't Kamara then it was Onana winning a tackle.

"That then allowed them to release each other in possession as well, so they always had a pass free straight after winning the ball back, because they were working so closely together.

"They just weren't allowing Manchester City to counter-attack at all.

"I would like to highlight Tielemans and Onana. If it's not one of them then it's the other and they are able to play out of situations at the back. We saw the best of Tielemans in this game.

"When Aston Villa are on the ball, they have always got options. It is either a diamond or a square shape that they play in, and that allows them to play through teams and play through the lines.

"They were outnumbering Manchester City in midfield and, because of that, Tielemans was wide open which allowed everyone else to play forward straightaway.

"They had lots of different overloads in their favour."

Catch up on Match of the Day here

Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's five Premier League fixtures, including Manchester City's visit to Aston Villa and the London derby between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• West Ham 1-1 Brighton

• Crystal Palace 1-5 Arsenal