Newcastle United's five-game winning run in the Premier League was brought to an abrupt end on a disappointing day away to Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon, with the hosts running out 3-0 winners to bolster their own hopes of European qualification.
With the Villans themselves having won four in a row heading into the game, it was always set to be a stern test for Eddie Howe's men, with it proving just that as the Midlands outfit came flying out the traps at Villa Park – man of the moment Ollie Watkins striking the woodwork inside 30 seconds.
That early warning was a sign of things to come as the England international wreaked havoc on the Magpies' backline, first teeing up compatriot Jacob Ramsey with a clever, guided header for the opener, before bagging two goals himself after the break to make sure of the points, having also seen an earlier effort ruled out following a tight offside call.
The former Brentford man simply ran the Tynesiders ragged on a day in which little went right for the visitors, with captain Kieran Trippier enduring a rare off day having had a "shocker" in truth, according to journalist Thomas Hammond, having notably lost possession on 27 occasions as a marker of his woes.
The experienced ace notably 'struggled' trying to contain the lively Alex Moreno down his side – as per 90min's Jude Summerfield – although he wasn't alone in having underwhelmed at Villa Park, however, with defensive colleague Sven Botman also looking "really off-colour" according to journalist Daniel Wales.
How did Botman perform against Villa?
Although the former Lille man has made a "huge difference" for the St James' Park outfit since his summer arrival, as per journalist Josh Bunting, the 23-year-old was far from his usual, commanding self up against Unai Emery's men.
As the aforementioned Summerfield noted, the 6 foot 4 man was 'constantly under the cosh' and 'looked fatigued' late on as the Villa onslaught continued, with the £90k-per-week brute ultimately winning just two duels on the day as a marker of his defensive woes.
The £35m man was made aware that he was in for a tough afternoon right from the word go as that man Watkins burst clear before eventually striking the post, with Botman having seemingly had little answer for the dynamic and clinical marksman.
The Dutchman's woes were also laid bare by the fact that he lost possession on ten occasions from his 61 touches and recorded just a solitary tackle, with the centre-back's 6.2 match rating, as per Sofascore, the worst of any starting player for either side.
The hope as far as Howe is concerned is that the display of Botman, Trippier and the rest was a mere blip amid the club's recent rampant run of form, with Newcastle unable to afford too many more off days in their bid to secure a place in the promised land of the Champions League.
