Newcastle United produced a ruthless second-half comeback to win 3-1 at Aston Villa and book their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Sandro Tonali was the hero, scoring twice after the break to turn a chaotic tie on its head. Nick Woltemade sealed the win late on, ending a long scoring drought on his 24th birthday.
The match was played without VAR, and it showed, with both teams infuriated at different moments during a night full of controversy.
Aston Villa took the lead in the 14th minute when Tammy Abraham finished from close range after Douglas Luiz delivered a free-kick into the box.
Newcastle felt the goal should not have stood, with Abraham appearing to be in an offside position when the ball was played.
There was more frustration for Eddie Howe’s side when Lucas Digne handled inside the penalty area, but the referee awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box.
Digne was also booked for a heavy first-half challenge on Jacob Murphy, which left the winger with visible cuts on his shins.
Despite the noise around the decisions, Newcastle stayed in the game. The turning point arrived in first-half stoppage time.
Villa goalkeeper Marco Bizot was sent off for a wild challenge on Murphy as he raced through, leaving the hosts down to 10 men.
Unai Emery was forced into an immediate reshuffle, with Emiliano Martinez coming on as the replacement goalkeeper.
Villa still carried the lead into the interval, but Newcastle’s pressure increased after the restart as they looked to make the extra man count.
They equalised in the 63rd minute from the free-kick that followed the earlier handball incident.
Kieran Trippier’s delivery was only parried by Martinez, and Tonali’s strike from outside the box took a deflection before hitting the net.
Tonali then produced the decisive moment in the 76th minute, firing an unstoppable long-range effort beyond Martinez to complete the turnaround.
Villa tried to respond, but the game was slipping away, and Newcastle’s control became clearer as the minutes passed.
Woltemade wrapped it up late on, converting from close range to make it 3-1 and spark celebrations among the travelling support.
The win continues Newcastle’s push for another cup run, while Villa were left to reflect on a night where discipline, decisions and a second-half collapse combined to end their FA Cup campaign.
