Newcastle United slipped to a 2-0 home defeat against Aston Villa, with Eddie Howe admitting the absence of captain Bruno Guimaraes hurt the team. Emiliano Buendia and Ollie Watkins scored in each half
for Unai Emery's title challengers at St. James' Park, ending Newcastle United's long unbeaten Premier League home run that stretched back to a 2-1 loss against Mikel Arteta's Arsenal in September 2025.
The setback arrived at a crucial stage for Newcastle United, who now face Paris Saint-Germain in a decisive Champions League league phase match on Wednesday. Victory in that game could secure automatic qualification for the last 16, before a demanding Premier League trip to Anfield to meet fellow top-four contenders Liverpool, adding pressure on Howe's already stretched squad.
Howe had to plan without Bruno Guimaraes after the captain injured an ankle during the 3-0 Champions League win over PSV in midweek. The Newcastle United midfielder had been central to the club's attacking output at St. James' Park this season, contributing nine goal involvements in home league games, with seven goals and two assists, more than any other teammate.
Across the entire Premier League campaign, Bruno Guimaraes also led Newcastle United in several key categories. No player for the club had scored more goals, with eight, won more tackles, with 31, or created more chances, with 32, underlining why Howe viewed the Brazilian as essential to Newcastle United's structure and build-up play.
| Newcastle United player | Premier League 2025-26 stat | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Bruno Guimaraes | Home goals | 7 |
| Bruno Guimaraes | Home assists | 2 |
| Bruno Guimaraes | Total league goals | 8 |
| Bruno Guimaraes | Tackles won | 31 |
| Bruno Guimaraes | Chances created | 32 |
Howe's problems deepened when Joelinton left the pitch three minutes into the second half with what appeared to be a groin problem. While that issue added to Newcastle United's concerns, Howe made clear that the impact of Bruno Guimaraes missing from the line-up remained the dominant factor in how the team performed during the defeat.
"He felt his groin. We don't know how serious that is, Howe said of Joelinton's issue. Going back to Bruno [Guimaraes], I think we missed his ability to pass forward. There was certainly an element of our game that got hurt by him not being here. He is possibly the focal point for a lot of our build play. We maybe suffered from not having him, but we have to be able to play without him as well and hope we don't have to do that for too long. "
The head coach stressed Newcastle United needed as many players fit as possible heading into this demanding run of fixtures. Howe suggested Bruno Guimaraes might be the only injured player with a realistic chance of returning for the Paris Saint-Germain meeting, underlining how stretched the squad has become at a key stage of both domestic and European campaigns.
Full-time.pic.twitter.com/Z1H20B4s2hNewcastle United (@NUFC) January 25, 2026
Newcastle United chances and xG against Aston Villa
Despite the defeat, Newcastle United created enough openings to take something from the game. The team generated chances worth 2.3 expected goals, yet did not score past Emiliano Martinez. That figure marked Newcastle United's highest xG total without a goal in a Premier League match since a 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace in September 2022, when their xG reached 2.8.
| Match | Competition | Newcastle United xG | Goals scored |
|---|---|---|---|
| vs Aston Villa | Premier League | 2.3 | 0 |
| vs Crystal Palace | Premier League | 2.8 | 0 |
Howe highlighted an early moment that could have altered the pattern for Newcastle United. Sandro Tonali had a clear opening in the first minute, only for Martinez to make an important save. From there, Aston Villa grew into the contest, regularly testing Newcastle United from distance before Buendia and Watkins converted chances in each half.
"The first-minute chance really shapes the game. Sandro [Tonali] goes through, and it is a top save, Howe added.Then Aston Villa were probably the better team in that first half and had a number of long shots and scored from one. There were some real positives. It was Sven Botman's best game since returning from injury, good cameos from Jacob Ramsey and Anthony Elanga, and Lewis Miley played really well again, but ultimately, you lose 2-0 at home,and we are disappointed. The big thing for us is that we need every available body and quality body available because, obviously, we lost Bruno [Guimaraes]before the game and then Joelinton. I think Bruno could be the only one back in contention for Wednesday. They are all pivotal weeks. It is a big period for us. "
Howe also pointed to encouraging individual displays within Newcastle United's defeat. Sven Botman delivered the defender's strongest performance since returning from injury, while Jacob Ramsey and Anthony Elanga impressed from the bench. Young midfielder Lewis Miley also earned praise for another composed showing, although those positives did not change the frustration of losing 2-0 at home during a vital spell.
The result prevented Newcastle United from narrowing the gap to the Premier League top four, adding extra weight to the meetings with Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool. With Bruno Guimaraes racing to be available and Joelinton now a fresh concern, Howe accepted that Newcastle United enter this demanding run knowing squad depth and fitness will play a major role in how their season develops.
