The pressure on Steve Bruce grew heavier with this emphatic defeat to his former club, who swaggered back into the top half of the table thanks to goals by Ollie Watkins and Bertrand Traoré. Newcastle have not won for eight league matches and although they are seven points above 18th place, they are far from safe from relegation. Bruce’s position looks even more precarious.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, climbed to eighth, with two matches in hand over most of the teams above them. On the pitch and off, buoyant Villa stand as almost a perfect contrast to Newcastle.
