Birmingham, Aug 16 (IANS) Newcastle United were held to a goalless draw by Aston Villa in their opening Premier League match of the 2025/26 season at Villa Park on Saturday, despite the hosts going down to ten men in the second half.

Newcastle dominated the first half, creating multiple chances. Just two minutes in, debutant Anthony Elanga had a clear opportunity, but his shot was saved by Marco Bizot, who was also making his Villa debut. Anthony Gordon, playing as a central forward instead of his usual left-sided role, was instrumental in creating space. Harvey Barnes found him unmarked with a cross, but Gordon’s header went over the bar.

Barnes continued to be involved, sending in another cross that reached Elanga at the far post, but his volley was off target. Gordon later forced Bizot into another save with a deflected shot.

Villa, who looked sluggish early on, improved after the break. Within 90 seconds of the restart, Boubacar Kamara connected with John McGinn’s cross, but goalkeeper Nick Pope, preferred over new signing Aaron Ramsdale, held on to the header. Morgan Rogers then set up Ollie Watkins, whose shot was comfortably saved by Pope.

The turning point came in the 66th minute. Newcastle broke forward with Elanga threading a perfect through ball to Gordon. As Gordon ran clear, Ezri Konsa brought him down, resulting in a straight red card from referee Craig Pawson.

Newcastle pushed for a winner with their numerical advantage. Barnes hit a volley that was blocked by Matty Cash, and the visitors maintained pressure in a frantic finale. However, Villa held firm, denying the Magpies a breakthrough.

Despite their dominance and playing against ten men for over 25 minutes, Newcastle were forced to settle for a point, while Aston Villa emerged with a hard-fought draw to start their campaign.

–IANS

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