Newcastle United

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We asked for your thoughts after Thursday's Premier League game between Newcastle and Aston Villa.

Here are some of your comments:

Newcastle fans

Richard: The annoying thing is that the sending off will dominate the headlines but the overall performance from Newcastle was excellent. Sandro Tonali is worth the ticket price on his own. Our very own Andrea Pirlo! A joy to watch him conduct the orchestra. It's no coincidence that our current good form coincides with Tonali's form.

Jona: Brilliant from start to finish. Big Joe man of the match - he is so key to our pressing game. Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes were good again and our midfield three is really clicking!

Katie: Normal service is resumed! The scoreline understates Newcastle's dominance - another perfect showing from Tonali and great efforts from Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and all the team. But, I'm still looking for reinforcements in January, especially in defence.

Russell: Another fantastic performance from the lads. Yes, the red card made a difference, especially as they were working their way back into the game. However, it's clear the spirit is back in this side and we are looking hard to beat. Roll on United and the Carabao Cup semi-final.

Villa fans

Keith: There's no shame in losing to Newcastle at St James' Park, but seriously, Jhon Duran - what on earth was going through his head?! It's also clear our squad, while stronger than last year, isn't strong enough yet to effectively challenge on all fronts. We need two elite players - an elite right-back and central attacking player to rotate with Morgan Rogers.

Ian: Poor. You'd think after a great win against Manchester City, we'd step up the levels. Conceding so early on set the tone and the sending off sealed it for Newcastle.

Jimash: Sending off changed the game. Not sure when travelling at speed and your left foot slips where you are supposed to put your right foot.

Sam: Such a shame after the City win. Duran is giving me massive Mario Balotelli vibes - moments of excellence v moments of immaturity. That's never going to give us the consistent performances we need to push for Europe, rather than getting pulled into mid-table vortex.

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Newcastle boss Eddie Howe was happy with his side's "maturity" after their comprehensive 3-0 win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day.

The Magpies rarely looked threatened, especially after Jhon Duran's first-half red card, and turned up their domination to find two goals after the break.

"Really pleased," Howe told BBC Radio Newcastle. "Very difficult game, Aston Villa are a really difficult team. I have a great respect for Unai Emery and the way they play.

"We scored early in the game, Anthony's goal was a brilliant team move and individual piece of skill from him. Of course the red card helped us but I was really pleased with the maturity we showed, especially in the second half."

The Magpies' recent good form has coincided with improved performances from Sandro Tonali who has looked comfortable deeper in midfield.

"Sandro was very good," Howe added. "Bruno [Guimaraes] was very good. Joelinton was very good, capped off with his goal. I was very happy with the midfield. All through the side, the parts of the team are functioning really well at the moment. I think we are in a good place so now we have to keep that going."

Listen to the full chat and more Newcastle reaction on BBC Sounds

Highlights and analysis from Boxing Day's eight Premier League fixtures.

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

Monaco's 22-year-old French winger Maghnes Akliouche is one of Newcastle United's targets, but Atletico Madrid, Paris St-Germain, Inter Milan and Manchester City are among the clubs also interested. (Caughtoffside), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

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Alexander Isak's 11th Premier League goal of the season and his seventh in six games helped Newcastle to a dominant victory against Aston Villa - to leave the Magpies fans dreaming of a return to European football.

A Champions League campaign last season was followed by an absence of continental football in 2024-25, but Eddie Howe's side continued their fine resurgence to move fifth in the league.

Since losing 4-2 at Brentford on 7 December, Newcastle have scored 14 goals in four games, with a pair of 4-0 wins over Leicester and Ipswich in the league to add to this Boxing Day success, plus a 3-1 win over Brentford to move into the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.

It is not only Isak that is contributing.

Anthony Gordon started things off with a fine curling strike to put Newcastle one up after only 80 seconds, before Villa striker Jhon Duran left his side with an uphill task following a straight red card for scraping his studs along Fabian Schar's back after 32 minutes.

Isak followed up his hat-trick in Saturday's thrashing of Ipswich by adding a second, with Jacob Murphy continuing his excellent form with the assist, before Joelinton added a third in injury-time.

That is four wins in a row for a revitalised Newcastle. A European return is getting closer.

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Newcastle manage Eddie Howe, speaking to Amazon Prime: "It's a brilliant goal from Anthony [Gordon]. He's capable of that and great to see that go in as he has been working hard on his finishing and wants more goals.

"Yes, it was 11 v 10 but the game was never done at 1-0 and we showed good characteristics, we were adapting with the ball and managed the situation very well. I'm delighted with the win. We were never comfortable until the second goal and I have to complement the players and how well they are playing, it is a good set of results and performances.

"We looked like we could score at any moment, the attacking players have their confidence back which is great to see and we look in a great place.

"If we can strengthen [in January] that would be our preference, if we can't we have to get the best out of the squad."

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Newcastle have won three matches in a row in the Premier League by three or more goals for the very first time.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Newcastle's performance

What did you make of Aston Villa's display?

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

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Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has spoken about the comparisons between Sandro Tonali and legendary Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo.

Since breaking into the Brescia first team in 2017, Tonali has been compared with Pirlo, who started his career at the same club 20 years earlier.

"When I first saw Sandro play, there were definite links to Pirlo, without a doubt - and it's not just the hair. There's more to it than that," Howe said.

"He's definitely got those similar qualities in terms of build and style, but I think the thing that sets Sandro apart from anyone else was he could do all of those things technically and tactically, and looked really good, but it's his athleticism as well, his ability to run.

"We've seen that in recent games from a defensive viewpoint now more than an attacking viewpoint, where he's sprinting to put out fires for us, nicking balls, intercepting balls, using his athleticism to track runners. He's been excellent in that respect and think that's really helped the team.

"Yes, there are the obvious ones [comparisons] in terms of his technique and his passing and everything else, but I think that's the thing that sets him apart."

Listen to Howe talking to BBC Radio Newcastle's Matthew Raisbeck on BBC Sounds

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

Charlotte Robson
Fan writer

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I'd like to take a minute to indulge myself if you'll allow it. It is Christmas, after all.

I have been ruminating on my Newcastle United moment of the year so far and I'm struggling to get past a moment from the last week. So I'm going to talk about it.

I'll set the scene: the season has been weird. The table is tight, and our performances haven't been consistent enough or win-focused enough for us to be where we want to be. Last season we had a plethora of injuries, and this season we don't but somehow it still isn't working. Our marquee signing of 2023, Sandro Tonali, came back from his 10 month ban in August 2024 and we seemed unable to work out how he fits into the squad. We are all frustrated, and desperate for the team and management to make it all better.

Then last week Brentford came to Newcastle to play us in the Carabao Cup Quarter Final. We win - but that's not my favourite moment.

My favourite moment was being directly in front of the goal as Sandro Tonali scored his second just before half time. We've been talking all season about it not clicking - well, for me, something clicked at that moment. I could feel it in my bones. The goal came from a corner - unusual for Newcastle United in the first place - and was so beautiful that I have re-watched it about six hundred times since the game. Tonali jumps, and manages to get enough power behind the ball from mid-air to whip it past several Brentford players and into the net. It seems like it defies physics.

The moment was compounded by the fact it was Tonali who did it; a man who has talked about wanting to show Newcastle fans his gratitude for the support we showed him last year. For me, it was just magnificent. I'm so excited to see what the next year will bring with such a creative, talented footballer in our team.

Find more from Charlotte Robson at the True Faith: Newcastle United Podcast, external

Newcastle United could reluctantly consider offers for Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali, 24, next summer to meet profit and sustainability rules, with Juventus interested. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Tom Gayle
MOTD commentator at Portman Road

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I quickly got a sense of the modest type of man Jacob Murphy is before I had even asked him a question.

Minutes after the final whistle, where Newcastle had delivered their biggest away win of the season and with the 29-year-old scoring and providing a spectacular assist, he had already had time to check how his twin brother Josh had got on as part of the Portsmouth side who had beaten Coventry 4-1.

This humility was further reinforced when he resisted the urge to take a dig at Ipswich after I brought up his Norwich City connection (he graduated from their academy into the first team).

Despite being fully aware of the intensity of their rivalry having played in two East Anglian derbies, the softly spoken Murphy described his afternoon as a "great day personally and collectively", adding: "It's nice to come to the local area and put in a performance like we did."

His mild mannered and incredibly polite nature makes those scenes during Newcastle's win the previous weekend against Leicester even more surprising. After scoring the game's opening goal, Murphy's celebration appeared to be fuelled by anger. He scowled, pointed towards his ear, and repeatedly yelled "what" at some of his own supporters who had been critical of his earlier play.

It is fair to say Eddie Howe's side have been inconsistent this season. However, I do not think Alan Shearer had Murphy's name anywhere near the forefront of his mind earlier this month when he blasted the teams performance, and questioned the attitude of several players during their 4-2 defeat at Brentford, given the winger came on as a second-half substitute to set up both of his side's goals.

In the space of a fortnight, Murphy has scored three goals and provided two assists in three Premier League appearances. He might not be as 'sexy' in a footballing sense as some of the more superstar names amongst the Newcastle squad, but when it comes to goal involvements this season, only Alexander Isak has provided more.