Premiership: Villa and Newcastle share the spoils

Aston Villa 1 Newcastle 1 FT

Newcastle United's title hopes sustained a fatal blow as they failed to take three points from tonight's Premiership clash with Aston Villa.

The Magpies got off to the perfect start when veteran Alan Shearer put them ahead after just three minutes.

But Villa's new signing Peter Crouch spoiled the party when he scored his first goal for Aston Villa to bring them back on level terms in a pulsating first half.

Shearer gave Newcastle a flying start by putting them ahead after only three minutes at Villa Park with his 199th Premiership goal.

Kieron Dyer’s right-wing cross was headed out by Villa centre-back Steve Staunton straight to Laurent Robert some 20 yards out.

His low shot beat the dive of Peter Schmeichel and struck a post but former England captain Shearer was on hand to turn home his 22nd goal of the campaign.

Villa tried to retaliate after this early setback and Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given turned a low drive from midfielder George Boateng around the post for a corner.

But Newcastle were soon back on the offensive and a chip from Nolberto Solano picked out Dyer who had made a run into the Villa penalty area.

The England midfielder was at full stretch but he should have still hit the target with his volley which flew wide.

Crouch showed some neat early touches and he had his first opportunity when he sent a header just wide from a cross by Thomas Hitzlsperger.

Then a cross from Mark Delaney just eluded Juan Pablo Angel at the near post and Nikos Dabizas was able to head clear.

He was proving a handful for the visiting defence and his efforts came good in the 25th minute when he produced a superb finish to bring Villa back on level terms with his first goal for the club.

England Under-21 skipper Gareth Barry supplied the cross from the left flank and Crouch got in front of Dabizas to send a thumping header across Given into the corner of the net.

The £4.5m (€7.35) capture could not conceal his delight as he went to celebrate with the Villa fans.

Villa were now enjoying a purple patch and Angel should have done better when he failed to make proper contact with another cross from Barry and his header went wide.

Then the combined efforts of Given and Dabizas managed to block a shot from Ian Taylor after Angel had played him into space.

Given then produced a superb save to tip over a 25-yard shot from George Boateng, which was destined for the top corner of the net, and also turned aside another thumping effort from Mark Delaney.

Robert won a corner for Newcastle within 30 seconds of the restart and he took the centre himself and picked out Cort but he was unable to keep his header down as it sailed into the banks of visiting fans.

The early stages of the second period were scrappy with both sides giving the ball away

needlessly.

Given cut out a deep cross from Delaney while at the other end Olof Mellberg made an important clearing header as Shearer tried to get on the end of a Robert cross.

Mellberg then brought Shearer down in a dangerous position 25 yards out but Robert’s first effort

was blocked and he sent his second attempt over the bar.