Aston Villa fought hard to secure a point on the opening day of the Premier League season, holding Newcastle United to a goalless draw at Villa Park despite going down to ten men midway through the second half.
Ezri Konsa’s red card in the 66th minute, after hauling down Anthony Gordon, raised Newcastle’s hopes of victory. But Unai Emery’s men stood firm, grinding out a point in a scrappy yet fiercely contested encounter.
Newcastle had the better of the first half, creating several chances that should have put them in front. Barely two minutes in, Anthony Elanga making his competitive debut broke free on goal, but Villa’s stand-in goalkeeper Marco Bizot, deputising for the suspended Emi Martínez, pulled off a fine save.
Harvey Barnes twice supplied dangerous deliveries from the left, first picking out Gordon, who headed over unmarked, before finding Elanga at the far post, though his volley skewed wide. Gordon himself came closest before the break with a deflected effort that Bizot pushed behind.
Villa were sluggish in the opening half but came alive after the restart.
Boubacar Kamara forced Nick Pope into a save with a firm header early in the second period, while Ollie Watkins drew another stop from the Newcastle keeper after good work by Morgan Rogers.
Just as Villa appeared to be finding rhythm, Konsa’s dismissal shifted the momentum. Elanga threaded Gordon through on goal, and the centre-back hauled him down as the last man, leaving referee Craig Pawson little choice but to brandish a red card.
With the extra man, Newcastle pressed hard. Harvey Barnes unleashed a fierce volley that Matty Cash blocked bravely, while late waves of pressure had Villa camped deep in their own half.
Still, the hosts stood firm, shutting down spaces and frustrating Eddie Howe’s side. At full-time, the 2025/26 curtain-raiser ended goalless—Villa buoyed by their defensive resilience, and Newcastle left to reflect on a string of wasted chances.