The Magpies went into the game with five straight victories, but slipped to their fourth league defeat of the campaign, and their heaviest of 2022/23, as Ollie Watkins netted twice in the second half after Jacob Ramsey had opened the scoring in the first.

Villa had won their last four matches - and six of their previous seven - and started with a confidence befitting of such form, nearly taking the lead inside the opening 30 seconds when Watkins raced through, held off Sven Botman and saw his effort clip a post with Nick Pope beaten. It was an early warning from the frontman, and one which was never truly heeded by the below-par black and whites.

United created their first real opening in the ninth minute when they won possession high up the pitch and Alexander Isak let fly, but his effort was pushed over by Argentina's World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez.

But two minutes later, the home side were ahead. Watkins nodded down a deep centre from John McGinn, the Villa captain, and England under-21 star Ramsey - whose younger brother Aaron had scored for loan club Middlesbrough against Norwich the previous night - drilled home with his left foot at the Holte End.

And they should really have added to their lead in the 15th minute as first, Pope made a good save to deny Watkins after the Villa forward had cut inside then, after possession was quickly recycled, Ramsey hit the bar from Álex Moreno's left-wing cutback.

Unai Emery's side were in almost complete control although Newcastle came close to an unlikely equaliser in the 23rd minute, but Isak couldn't quite connect with Jacob Murphy's teasing cross from the right.

Then Murphy and Joelinton both had shots blocked before, just before the break, Bruno Guimarães dragged an effort wide from the edge of the area.

At the beginning of the second half, Watkins again drifted in from the left and Pope did well to block with his legs, then United responded as Murphy motored towards goal, but his low shot flashed past the far post.

In the 56th minute, Eddie Howe introduced Callum Wilson and Miguel Almirón from the bench in place of Murphy and Anthony Gordon, with an accompanying change of formation, and within seconds of his arrival Wilson looked to get a faint touch on a clipped delivery from Isak, but Martínez scooped the ball away.

Then Isak forced the goalkeeper into an acrobatic save with a 20-yard strike, and when the resulting corner was only half-cleared, Almirón could only find the side-netting when well-placed.

Just past the hour mark, the dangerous Watkins thought he had his 13th league goal of the season when he sprinted onto Moreno's pass and beat Pope - but VAR came to Newcastle's rescue, with the England international offside by the narrowest of margins.

However it was a brief respite and after McGinn had fired just over, Watkins was soon celebrating again, turning inside the box and firing home after Moreno had picked him out.

And he scored his second, and Villa's third, in the 83rd minute from a similar situation - although this time the ball came from the right, with McGinn and Emiliano Buendía combining and Watkins finding the net with the help of a deflection.

It was what his performance deserved, and in truth, no less than Villa's performance warranted as they moved to within six points of Newcastle, who will look to put the setback behind them when they take on Tottenham at St. James' Park next weekend.