Brad Guzan (6) The American shot stopper pulled off a number of saves to deny Remy but had no chance with the goal, a shot which was fired from close range. Deserved his clean sheet. Ron Vlaar (6) The Villa captain produced an assured performance until giving the ball away poorly in his own box to De Jong who set up Remy, the Frenchman firing his resulting shot against the post. Nathan Baker (6)A committed performance from the young defender. Took a knock in the first half but coped well with Newcastle's aerial threat, making a string of clearances. Ryan Bertrand (5) The on loan Chelsea man defended solidly in the first half but didn't offer much in the way of going forward and was replaced after 75 mins by Bennett when Debuchy began to get the better of him. Leandro Bacuna (6) Came close with two free kicks in the first half but struggled in the second and appeared to handle the ball late on in his own penalty area. Would have been a harsh penalty if given. Fabian Delph (6) Saw a lot of the ball in the first half and produced two inviting cut backs from the wing which deserved a finish. Combined well with El Ahmadi and Westwood. Ashley Westwood (7) Sub Sylla (60 mins) The young midfielder gave a controlled display, breaking up the play and moving the ball on well before his withdrawal early in the second half through a dead leg. Singled out for praise by Lambert. Andreas Weimann (6) Returned to the starting line up after a recent injury and was a willing runner throughout but didn't seem to be on the same wave length as Benteke. Needs more game time to regain full match fitness. Gabriel Agbonlahor (7) Man of the Match Unlucky to be on the losing team. Direct running and pace caused the Newcastle defence problems in the first half and single handedly created a number of opportunities for the visitors. Wonderful strike just over the bar in the first half. Faded in the second half but lacked support from other forwards. El Ahmadi (6) Linked up well with Delph and Westwood in the first half and helped his side control the midfield battle. Looked to set Villa off on the counter attack but, like others, tired as the game reached its conclusion. Christian Benteke (4) Another poor display from the Belgian to add to a hatful already this season. He looks a shadow of his former self and failed to control the ball on a number of occasions. No attacking threat of note.
