SANDRO TONALI’S brilliant brace stopped a hat-trick of howlers by match officials deciding a crazy cup tie.
are in the fifth round, where and save the likes of referee Chris Kavanagh and assistant Chris Greenhalgh from their own incompetence.
Sandro Tonali grabbed a brace for Newcastle to dump Aston Villa out of the FA CupCredit: Getty
Marco Bizot was given his marching orders for Aston VillaCredit: PA
Nick Woltemade was on the scoresheet to secure the win for NewcastleCredit: Getty
But with less than half an hour to go, Eddie Howe’s team were heading for defeat because of a first-half goal by Villa striker Tammy Abraham which any top-level linesman should have ruled out for offside.
And the home side should have been down to 10 men even before second-string goalkeeper
Minutes earlier captain Lucas Digne had escaped with a yellow card for a horrible foul on Jacob Murphy.
And it seemed Digne had got away with it again just past the hour when referee Kavanagh awarded a free kick for handball despite the Frenchman being well inside his penalty area.
But Tonali made sure Newcastle the debate about VAR and the standard of referees would be academic.
After the wrongly-awarded free kick, the Italian equlised with a deflected shot.
And 13 minutes later he fired in a superb second which broke 10-man Villa.
Nick Woltemade added a third in the dying minutes to cap a fine comeback and farcical evening.
An incident-packed game started quietly. Very little happened before Villa took the lead after Douglas Luiz scooped a free kick into the penalty area.
Abraham mistimed his run and seemed clearly ahead of the last man. Yet after he collected the ball, turned and shot into the net, Greenhalgh pointed his hands to the floor confidently.
Replays proved him wrong. It was not even that close.
So Abraham had his first goal for Villa since his loan spell from Chelsea seven seasons ago.
Back in May 2019, he grabbed the winner from the penalty spot against West Brom in the Championship play-off semi final first leg of May 2019.
Soon Abraham almost had a legitimate second, but Malick
Newcastle were creating little and both Lewis Hall and Harvey Barnes fell rather too easily in search of penalties.
When at last Barnes did work a good one-two with William Osula, the winger grazed the near post with his shot.
The next controversial moment arrived towards the end of the half.
Leon Bailey reacts after Marco Bizot is sent packingCredit: Getty
Tammy Abraham opens the scoring for Aston VillaCredit: Getty
Sandro Tonali is delighted after levelling for Newcastle at Villa ParkCredit: Reuters
Digne went flying into a challenge, out of control, and caught Jacob Murphy on the top of his foot with his studs.
Kavanagh showed a yellow card. Again, replays suggested it was the wrong decision. As did a gash on Murphy’s calf, although it was unclear whether that happened in the same incident.
In first-half stoppage time, the officials finally got an important call right.
It is a mystery how Villa managed to leave themselves facing a three-v-one counter attack from their own corner.
It is equally baffling why Bizot was near the halfway line.
But the decision to send him off for fouling Murphy after the Newcastle player knocked the ball past him was obvious.
You could argue it was not a denial of a goalscoring opportunity because of where the ball was going.
But the sheer brutality of Bizot’s lunge, which Bizot took Murphy out at the knee, was worthy of a red card on its own.
It is saying something when Emi Martinez is not your most crazy ‘keeper. On came the Argentinian World Cup winner, with Bailey sacrificed.
Newcastle’s challenge was to find a way past him and back into the tie.
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The visitors used their man advantage to take a bit of control but openings were at a premium as Villa defended with discipline.
Newcastle lost theirs a bit, with Barnes booked for diving and former Villa star Jacob Ramsey cautioned for yelling at Greenhalgh.
But the assistant ref was soon part of another cock-up.
When Digne blocked Kieran Trippier’s cross with his arm, he was clearly in the penalty area.
Yet Kavanagh awarded a free kick and Greenhalgh did not correct him.
Justice of a sort was done when, from the set piece, the ball fell to Tonali and his shot took a big deflection off Luiz’s backside on the way into the net.
It was all Newcastle now, as corners, crosses and shots rained in to the Villa box.
Substitute Anthony Gordon had a shot deflected just wide. Fellow sub and Anthony, Mr Elanga, slipped when sent through by Hall.
When the goal came, it was a peach.
A Trippier cross was cleared to outside the box, Dan Burn touched the ball to Tonali and the Italian drilled a brilliant shot into the side-netting to Martinez’s right.
Villa tried to respond. Thiaw cleared a goalbound effort by sub Jadon Sancho but Newcastle were not going to give up this sweet victory.
Woltemade sealed it with a sharp finish, doing his job on a night the match officials failed to do theirs.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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