Attendance: 48,245 An uninspiring Newcastle United needed a moment of magic from gifted Frenchman Hatem Ben Arfa to overcome a dogged and determined (not to mention dirty) Aston Villa side in the Tyneside sunshine on Sunday afternoon, as the former Marseille man fired in a wonder-goal to level the scores at 1-1 and send the small pocket of travelling Villains away ruing missed chances. Neither team was particularly exciting to watch, though Villa can probably claim to have enjoyed the best of a largely boring first-half in which Newcastle's narrow 4-4-2 failed to take advantage of Villa's shakey full-backs. But it could have been a lot different as early as the second minute, captain Fabricio Coloccini missing a good chance to score when Yohan Cabaye's free-kick dropped to him ten or so yards out. The Magpies then followed up this early pressure with a good shout for a penalty when the excellent Davide Santon tumbled under two challenges, but referee Lee Probert showed the first of many instances of forgiving refereeing and ignored the Italian and the crowd's angry appeals. But it was then Villa who took control, having two good chances through Darren Bent, the first enticing a good save from Tim Krul after Andreas Weimann flicked it on into the path of the former Sunderland striker, and the second again bringing the best of the Dutch 'keeper after Bent got behind the Magpies' defence. And then, after two false starts Villa got their goal, thanks to defender Ciaran Clark who headed past Krul without so much as a concerned attempt to stop him from the Newcastle defence. That spurred Newcastle into life and Papiss Cisse should have scored almost immediately after good work from Demba Ba, but the so-far out-of-sorts striker was thwarted by the leg of 'keeper Brad Guzan, deputising for the dropped Shay Given. Vurnon Anita then had another shot, which he dragged wide before having to move back to right-back when Danny Simpson was taken off with an injured hamstring. Two right-backs down in the space of three days, and Newcastle fans could be forgiven for feeling frustrated at the club's apparent inability to bring in Mathieu Debuchy. Youngster Gael Bigirimana was brought on to slot into midfield. Newcastle continued to look for an equaliser towards the end of the first-half, with a couple of chances for Demba Ba and a header from Papiss Cisse that he should have done more with. That proved to be the last major act of the team's 4-4-2 formation, as Alan Pardew rang the tactical changes at half-time, changing to a diamond shape in midfield, clearly in the hope of giving Hatem Ben Arfa more time on the ball and more influence. The change was almost immediately profitable, but Ben Arfa was first unable to hit the target with the first chance of the second half and then couldn't keep his header down on 52 minutes despite rising well at the back post to meet Vurnon Anita's cross. Villa then had their own half chance through Stephen Ireland, before a moment of magic from Ben Arfa saw the Magpies draw level. For what seemed the first time, Newcastle's long ball policy paid off as Villa failed to clear properly and the ball fell to Ben Arfa, who curled an exquisite 25 yard right footed strike into the top corner. Cue jubilant response from the Geordie fans, and a resurgent spell from their team, which Villa did their best to interrupt with some time-wasting tactics that saw more than one player rolling around on the floor dramatically including 'keeper Guzan. That was the latest in a long line of instances that the 'keeper was accused of time-wasting by the frustrated home fans, which ultimately lead to a yellow card for the smirking number one. That more impressive spell from the Magpies ultimately lead to nothing, and Villa had their own chance to win it from a Stephen Ireland half volley that should have hit the net, but nestled safely in the stands despite a lack of pressure from the Newcastle defence. And then in what proved to be the last kick of the match, Yohan Cabaye came closest to giving Newcastle the victory with a wonderfully struck free-kick that had Guzan leaping through the air like an American salmon to parry it away and thwart the Frenchman's attempt to score a carbon copy of his stunning Manchester United effort from last term. Fair play to him, it was the quickest the American 'keeper moved all day. Man of the Match: Davide Santon
Teams
Newcastle United (4-4-2): Tim Krul; Danny Simpson (Gael Bigirimana 38), Steven Taylor, Fabricio Coloccini (c), Davide Santon; Hatem Ben Arfa, Yohan Cabaye, Vurnon Anita, Jonas Gutierrez (Sylvain Marveaux 86); Demba Ba (Gabriel Obertan 86), Papiss Cisse Subs not used: Steve Harper, Mike Williamson, Dan Gosling, Romain Amalfitano Aston Villa (4-1-3-2): Brad Guzan; Matthew Lowton, Ron Vlaar, Ciaran Clark, Eric Lichaj; Karim El Ahamadi (Charles N'Zogbia 73); Brett Holman, Stephen Ireland, Barry Bannan; Andreas Weimann (Gabriel Agbonlahor 64), Darren Bent Subs not used: Shay Given, Nathan Baker, Derrick Williams, Graham Burke, Jordan Bowery Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire)