Aston Villa had better players and a better plan than lumbering Newcastle - this was a harsh indication of the Magpies' current situation, writes CRAIG HOPE

On the day Newcastle United revealed a slower version of their Blaydon Races anthem, the team on the pitch responded with a performance every bit as lumbering.

When the match ball burst in stoppage-time, it was a signpost for the deflating mood that would soon descend on St James’ Park. At least, that was, after the home masses had let their feelings be known with a chorus of boos.

It was just as well that this game also marked the unveiling of the club’s new pour-your-own beer pumps, for the locals needed something to numb the pain of a second defeat in a week. On this evidence, there will be plenty more.

The sight of head coach Matthias Jaissle breaking the glass on the emergency option and throwing Dan Burn up front in the closing stages told of Newcastle’s desperation, as well as the absence of a workable Plan A. Come full-time, there had been just one shot on target — and that was from a defender. The club have spent £175million trying to replace Alexander Isak, and Burn is where they have ended up.

Unai Emery’s Villa, by contrast, had a plan. They also had better players, including match-winner Johan Manzambi. Remarkably, the visitors are still below Newcastle in the table, not that they will be for too much longer. Villa are unbeaten in five in all competitions and this was Emery’s 100th win in the Premier League.

‘I hope there are 100 more,’ said the Spaniard. ‘This was very tough and for us it was very important after our poor start [to the season] that we needed to try to come back feeling confident, feeling comfortable in how we are building our structure.’

Aston Villa had better players than Newcastle, including match-winner Johan Manzambi, as they beat the Magpies 1-0

The midfielder, who nearly joined Newcastle in the summer, was the game’s star man and scorer of its only goal

Matthias Jaissle's side are heading towards the bottom three after a second defeat in a week

Much of that structure centres on the athleticism and ingenuity of Manzambi. Newcastle missing out on the signing of the Switzerland World Cup star was a sliding-doors moment in their summer, and it was among the reasons why Eddie Howe headed for the one marked ‘exit’.

Had Manzambi and Victor Munoz — the Spaniard who defected to Liverpool — signed, Howe would likely have still been in charge. Sliding doors and, now, a team sliding towards the bottom three. That is the reality of their current plight.

‘Johan has skills and intelligence,’ said Emery. ‘His physicality is also very important to help us defensively. He decided he wanted to be with us [and not Newcastle]. We have Champions League. He has had a very good impact with his qualities.’

It is easy to see why Manzambi was so desired by Newcastle, who thought he was ready to join. The midfielder, 21, was the game’s star man and scorer of its only goal. Not that he had to be so great to convert a free header from six yards — for that he had the pinpoint cross of Joao Gomes to thank and, more so, the failure of defenders Sven Botman and Lewis Miley to react to his presence in the goalmouth.

The moments that followed exposed the fragility of Newcastle’s confidence. Manzambi netted in the 36th minute and the hosts were fortunate not to enter the break at 2-0 down or worse. They lost shape, energy and ideas. It was like watching a boxer lose his legs after the first punch. Emiliano Buendia hit the post after a back-to-front offensive that was devastatingly simple in its execution — pass, pass, chance. It infuriated Jaissle, who yelled at Joe Willock for not stopping the move at source on the edge of Villa’s own area. The midfielder protested his innocence, in a manner to suggest he believed the job of closing Gomes belonged to someone else.

That is never a good sign and was reminiscent of his team-mates’ abdication of responsibility for the goal moments earlier.

Jaissle had demanded his team come out swinging in response to Monday’s 4-1 defeat at Coventry, and they did, albeit with a little too much fight. The ferocity of Botman’s tackle on Nicolas Jackson needed 60 seconds of attention from Stockley Park, who eventually deemed the on-field yellow sufficient. It was a borderline red.

Jackson later said: ‘I know the referee said yellow card but it was so high and hopefully maybe next time a red card. I nearly broke my leg. The most important thing is that we won, so I’m OK.’

Joelinton was also booked during the same passage for a typically robust challenge on Manzambi, requiring Villa’s medical team to divide their attention.

Still, here was proof of a team ready to scrap for each other, and that resolve did at least extend until the very end, when they threatened to nick what would have been a barely-deserved equaliser amid the chaos of Burn. What was missing throughout, however, was quality and control. Marquee signing Matias Fernandez-Pardo remains without a goal and was hooked on 57 minutes after another subdued outing. The others in attack repeatedly ran down blind alleys.

These two clubs have long been kindred spirits in their attempts to storm the Premier League’s elite. But whenever they have lowered the drawbridge, the following season has invariably seen them thrown back in the moat.

Newcastle, you suspect, are set to sink even deeper this season.