Manzambi maintains Aston Villa progress with win to seal dismal week for Newcastle

There is a reason why Aston Villa were so desperate to hijack Johan Manzambi’s proposed move from Freiburg to Newcastle this summer which appeared nailed on.

The tall, quick, tricky, clever and perfectly balanced 21-year-old Switzerland attacking midfielder looked worth every penny of the record £50m plus fee Villa ended up paying for and duly delighted in showing Tynesiders what they missed.

For Newcastle and their disconsolate manager Matthias Jaissle there was a cruel irony that Manzambi ended up heading the winner on a day when the Premier League’s CEO, Richard Masters, was in the directors’ box to watch arguably the two teams most affected by the spending rules imposed during his tenure.

Those regulations have turned Unai Emery into a master of re-invention at Aston Villa but, in the league at least, the Spaniard’s latest rebuild has been slow to quite click cleanly into place. On this evidence that just might be changing.

While Villa kicked off having won only once in the league this season, Newcastle sought redemption following last Monday night’s chastening 4-1 defeat at Coventry.

Jaissle responded to that reverse by relocating Matias Fernandez-Pardo from his preferred position at centre forward to the right wing. It left Yoane Wissa as the central striker with Joe Willock in the hole and Joelinton introduced deeper in midfield alongside Nico González.

This revamp instantly offered Newcastle an apparently more robust structure but, nonetheless, Lukas Hornicek still received an early fright when Nicolas Jackson showed his markers a clean pair of counterattacking heels only to ultimately direct a miscued shot straight into the goalkeeper’s grateful arms.

There has always been a certain edge between these teams and Jarred Gillett, the referee, issued two yellow cards in quick succession as first Joelinton lunged in, two footed, on Manzambi and then Sven Botman was guilty of another reckless two-footed challenge, on Jackson.

A video assistant referee check ensued but, after lengthy deliberation, it was decided the original decision was correct and Botman’s yellow did not require upgrading to a red card. The Newcastle centre-half was probably a little fortunate. Joelinton, meanwhile, has now been booked in each of the two games he has been involved in since returning from injury as a substitute at Coventry. Plus ça change.

The highly impressive Manzambi exerted the best sort of revenge on the Brazilian when he gave Emery’s side the lead.

That goal arrived in the 36th minute and involved an unmarked Manzambi ghosting away from Malick Thiaw before meeting João Gomes’ splendid cross with a tremendous header.

Newcastle suddenly looked extremely vulnerable but they were reprieved when Emiliano Buendía’s shot rebounded off the inside of a post and deflected off Hornicek’s back before eventually being cleared by Lewis Hall. Not for the first time, Hall was Jaissle’s best player here.

It was all too easy to see why Newcastle have now gone 13 Premier League home games without a clean sheet, equalling an unwanted record set back in 1998-99.

Jaissle’s frustration manifested itself as he exchanged words with Emery following an altercation involving Alysson and Hornicek. Eddie Howe’s successor subsequently looked suitably downcast as his initially reasonably promising side were booed off at half-time.

Those home fans were not relishing the sight of Villa’s forward repeatedly accelerating behind the sometimes dangerously high home backline. Emery, sensibly, withdrew the already booked Alysson at the interval, replacing him with John McGinn.

Zion Suzuki had been rather underemployed but a goalkeeper briefly courted by Newcastle in the summer opened the second half by making a superlative flying save to keep Botman’s high velocity shot out.

Not that Jaissle was satisfied. Newcastle’s manager knew change was required and brought on Will Osula and Bazoumana Touré in place of Joe Willock and Fernandez-Pardo.

Yet it was a Villa substitute, Ross Barkley, that would have scored with his first touch had Hornicek not dived smartly to turn his blistering shot around a post.

Suitably encouraged Newcastle refused to surrender, something evidenced as Jaissle sent Dan Burn on for the closing minutes – as a striker. It proved too little, too late, nothing it seemed would come between Emery and his 100th Premier League win.