Sandro Tonali has brought a wealth of riches to Newcastle, but perhaps above all it is that rare ability to slow games down that gives Eddie Howe’s high-intensity side the invaluable control they have so often lacked in recent months.

With the Italian again acting confidently at the base of the midfield and executing his Andrea Pirlo-esque repertoire of short and long passes, seamless interceptions and an all-round superior vision, Newcastle were already in the lead before Jhon Durán’s controversial sending off in the 32nd minute.

In the end, the very in-form Alexander Isak scored again as Newcastle moved up to fifth place, confirming his manager’s pre-match suspicion that they were realistic contenders for Champions League qualification again.

Newcastle were in the lead after two minutes. It all started with Tonali detailing why the recent upturn in Howe’s fortunes coincided with the Italian midfielder’s move from number 8 to number 6.

His latest game-changing move involved Tonali stealing the ball almost halfway through before leaving the Villa players to watch in horror as he, Bruno Guimarães and Joelinton combined to field Anthony Gordon.

When Matty Cash unwisely backed away, the English left-winger cut inside with his right foot before firing a superb shot beyond the reach of Emiliano Martínez, who shot unstoppably into the far top corner.

Unai Emery’s uncharacteristically agitated body language suggested Villa’s manager had not forgotten a slightly warmer afternoon here in August 2023, when debutant Tonali and his new Newcastle team-mates beat Villa 5-1.

The Spaniard’s mood hardly brightened when Durán was subsequently shown a straight red card for violent behavior, namely stomping on the thigh and back of the prone Fabian Schär during a hurdle run against the defender in the aftermath of a tackle from Schär.

Duran looked glowing as he trotted off, claiming it was an accident. Although the slow-motion replays provided a strong case for the prosecution, it was difficult to tell where else the Colombian could have gone in real time.

With Emery’s 10-man side now led by the impressive but out-of-position Morgan Rogers and Tonali remaining in Newcastle’s midfield while Villa grow more nervous by the minute, the hosts are looking to extend their lead. But Joelinton had a goal disallowed because the ball went out of bounds before Isak could hit it back, and Martínez made a superb one-handed save to deny Tonali, so Villa’s mission to limit the damage was successful until half-time.

The start of the second half coincided with the arrival of Ollie Watkins from the away bench to replace the disappointing Youri Tielemans. It wasn’t the only move; With Howe’s assistant, the ever-fiery Jason Tindall, shown a red card after an altercation as the teams left the pitch at half-time, things quieted down on the Newcastle bench.

Howe was soon celebrating after Guimarães initiated a great pass and a low cross from Jacob Murphy, which Isak sent past Martínez for the first time from close range. It was Isak’s 11th goal in 18 appearances this season and the Swede soon believed, albeit briefly, that he had scored another goal, but this goal was disallowed for offside.

Afterwards, a Murphy shot hit the crossbar when it would have been easier to score, and after a video referee review, Guimarães was denied a goal for handball. But Joelinton’s evasive shot in stoppage time proved far too good for Martínez as it reminded everyone why he used to be a centre-forward. Given that it was Newcastle’s 11th goal in three league games, a return to Europe in 2025 seems within reach.