Newcastle United welcomed Aston Villa to St James' Park on a crisp evening, and the home fans were treated to the full spectrum of human emotion: hope, despair, and the distinct pleasure of watching their team set an entirely unwelcome club record. Apparently, Newcastle have now conceded in their last 16 home games, which is the kind of statistic that makes you wonder if the defenders have collectively decided to pursue other hobbies.
Villa, who started the game in 17th place, were the sharper, smarter team and took the lead through a forceful header from Johan Manzambi - a player Newcastle apparently thought they were going to sign in the summer. Manzambi, clearly a man who enjoys a bit of irony, bit the hand that wanted to feed him. The goal was all a bit too easy: Joao Gomes curled a cross to the far post, where Manzambi pulled away from Thiaw and powered a header through the hand of Hornicek. Newcastle's defenders, meanwhile, were left to ponder the concept of marking.
Emi Buendia hit the post, and Nicolas Jackson, a constant threat on the break, passed up a couple of chances. Newcastle had their moments - Barnes had a shot blocked, Wissa tried a scissor-kick that was crucially blocked on the six-yard line - but the half-time whistle brought a short chorus of boos from the home fans. Villa's Unai Emery, meanwhile, has managed to build an effective new side before the clocks go back, which is either a testament to his coaching or a sign that the rest of the league should be worried.
The second half saw Newcastle make a double substitution: Will Osula and Baz Toure replaced Joe Willock and Matias Fernandez-Pardo. Villa brought on John McGinn for Alysson, who was on a yellow card. The game remained even, but the next goal was always going to be a big one. Newcastle's Hall continued to impress, stopping Jackson's angled through ball and generally looking like a man who actually enjoys defending. Wissa was booked for a late challenge on the keeper Suzuki, and Gonzalez was booked for a brazen tactical foul on McGinn.
In the 52nd minute, Barnes won a corner for Newcastle, who had made a strong start to the second half. Gonzalez's free-kick from the right was headed away as far as Wissa on the edge of the area. He was challenged by a Villa player, but Botman smashed a shot on the half turn that was superbly tipped round by the diving Suzuki. Very good save. Moments later, Barnes' first-time shot from distance was well blocked on the edge of the D, and Miley's cross was headed up in the air towards Wissa, whose sweetly struck scissor-kick was crucially blocked on the six-yard line.
Villa's Sven Botman was lucky to stay on the pitch after a challenge on Nicolas Jackson that Jamie Redknapp called "a disgraceful challenge" on Sky Sports. The VAR, Stuart Attwell, decided it was reckless rather than dangerous, which is the kind of distinction that only makes sense to people who have never been on the receiving end of a studs-up tackle. Chris Sutton said Botman was "very fortunate" to stay on, and Joelinton and Botman were both booked for flying tackles in the space of a few seconds.
As the game wore on, Villa's Manzambi continued to cause problems, leading a three-on-two break before picking out Jackson, whose shot hit Botman and spun behind for a corner. Newcastle's Hornicek had to come out of his area to head a through ball away from Alysson, following through with his head and going down. There were a few boos from the home fans - Alysson was on a yellow, but he didn't do much wrong there.
In the 66th minute, Villa were still in 17th place, but if it stayed like this they'd jump to 12th, behind Newcastle on goals scored. The game had an edge to it, with Joao Gomes booked for a cynical foul on Fernandez-Pardo and loud cheers from the home fans. Newcastle's Wissa had a shot blocked in the D after a nice bit of footwork, and Villa broke, with Alysson trying to run the last defender Hall, who won the ball back with cool authority. He really is a terrific player.
As the match entered its final stages, the question was whether Newcastle could find an equaliser. They had made a strong start to the second half, but Villa's defence, marshalled by the impressive Suzuki in goal, held firm. The home fans, who had seen their team concede in 16 consecutive home games, were left to wonder if this was going to be another one of those nights. The boos at half-time had been short, but the sense of frustration was palpable.
In the end, the match ended with Villa holding on to their lead, and Newcastle left to rue their missed chances and defensive frailties. The live blog, meanwhile, was treated to a series of emails from readers, including one from Simon McMahon, who managed to shoehorn Dundee United into the conversation, and another from Chris Paraskevas, who pondered the meaning of "vertical football" and whether it involved Dan Burn, Sven Botman, and Shola Ameobi forming the front three. It didn't, but it was a nice thought.
Newcastle's manager, Matthias Jaissle, had said before the game that the lads know they need to show a reaction, and they did - just not the one he was hoping for. Villa's Unai Emery, on the other hand, continues to rotate his squad with the kind of confidence that comes from actually knowing what you're doing. The only change for Newcastle from their 4-1 defeat at Coventry on Monday was Joelinton replacing Jacob Murphy, and it was Joelinton's first start under Jaissle after a hamstring injury during pre-season. He hadn't had the desired effect of shoring up the midfield, which was frequently wide open while trying to play a bizarrely high line against Nicolas Jackson, who thrives off playing off the shoulder.
In the end, it was a game that had everything: goals, bookings, VAR controversy, and a live blog that somehow managed to include a reference to a 1998 Rugby League movie. Newcastle will have to regroup, and Villa will enjoy their jump up the table. As for the fans, they'll keep exhaling all over the blog, because what else are you going to do when your team has just set a new and entirely unwelcome club record?