Aston Villa clung on for a battling point on the opening day of the 2025/26 Premier League season, holding Newcastle United to a 0-0 draw at Villa Park despite being reduced to ten men midway through the second half.
Ezri Konsa’s dismissal in the 66th minute for hauling down Anthony Gordon appeared to hand the Magpies the advantage, but Unai Emery’s side dug in to frustrate their visitors in a fiercely contested if largely uneventful encounter.
Newcastle dominated the first half and should have taken the lead. Just two minutes in, debutant Anthony Elanga burst clear but was denied by Marco Bizot, making his Villa bow in place of the suspended Emi MartÃnez.
Harvey Barnes twice delivered teasing crosses from the left, first for Gordon to head over and then for Elanga to volley wide. Gordon later forced Bizot into a save with a deflected strike as the visitors pushed for an opener.
Villa, sluggish before the break, improved after half-time with Boubacar Kamara testing Nick Pope with a firm header, while Ollie Watkins drew another stop from the Newcastle goalkeeper after neat play by Morgan Rogers.
But Konsa’s red card altered the balance. Elanga slipped Gordon in on goal, and the defender’s desperate challenge left referee Craig Pawson with no option but to send him off.
With a man advantage, Newcastle pressed hard. Barnes’ stinging volley was blocked bravely by Matty Cash, while late pressure had Villa penned inside their own half.
Yet the home side’s organisation and discipline ensured Eddie Howe’s men were left frustrated.
The stalemate means Villa open their campaign with a hard-earned point built on resilience, while Newcastle will rue a string of missed opportunities that prevented them from starting the season with victory.