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Manzambi haunts Newcastle with winner for Aston Villa

Aston Villa secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Newcastle United at St James' Park on Saturday, with Johan Manzambi proving the decisive figure in a match that saw the Magpies extend their recent defensive struggles. The Belgian midfielder, who had previously agreed to join Newcastle this summer before a last-minute move to Villa, opened the scoring in the 36th minute with a header, capitalizing on his recent form that includes a Champions League goal on his 21st birthday against Fenerbahçe.

The win marked Newcastle’s 16th consecutive game across all competitions without a clean sheet, setting a new club record for consecutive matches without keeping a shutout. Meanwhile, Newcastle’s Sven Botman faced controversy after a reckless challenge on Nicolas Jackson, initially earning a yellow card before VAR reviewed the incident for potential serious foul play—though no red card was ultimately issued despite widespread criticism from pundits like Jamie Redknapp, who questioned the decision’s fairness.

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