John Townley’s Aston Villa player ratings as Unai Emery’s side are dumped out of the FA Cup in the fourth round
19:40, 14 Feb 2026Updated 19:56, 14 Feb 2026
Aston Villa have been dumped out of the FA Cup(Image: Getty Images)
Ten-man Aston Villa were knocked out of the FA Cup after losing 3-1 at home to Newcastle United in the fourth round.
Tammy Abraham scored his first goal since returning to the club in the first half, but Marco Bizot was sent off for bringing down Jacob Murphy during a counter-attack, before Sandro Tonali struck twice in the second half and Nick Woltemade grabbed a third.
Villa started on the front foot in a crackling home atmosphere and opened the scoring in the 14th minute through Abraham, who finished off a cheeky free-kick from Douglas Luiz.
The Brazilian clipped the ball over the Newcastle wall with clever disguise, with Morgan Rogers pretending to run up to shoot, before Abraham took the ball down and lifted it over Aaron Ramsdale.
Abraham nearly doubled his and Villa’s tally minutes later when he was picked out by Leon Bailey in the box, but Malick Thiaw made an important block to prevent the striker’s effort from hitting the target.
Luiz, making his third successive start, narrowly missed the top corner when he tried his luck from distance in the 38th minute.
Newcastle were a threat in the final third, but Bizot had little to worry about until he caused his own trouble by racing out to stop Jacob Murphy leading a counter-attack. Deciding to take the winger down a long way from goal, Bizot was given his marching orders, with Emiliano MartÃnez replacing Bailey as part of the reshuffle.
The Magpies drew level just after the hour mark when Tonali’s strike deflected off Luiz and into the back of the net. The goal followed controversy, as officials judged Lucas Digne to have handled the ball outside the box, though replays appeared to show the left-back blocked Trippier’s cross inside the area.
Anthony Gordon flashed the ball wide of the post as Newcastle mounted pressure around Villa’s box, with Victor Lindelöf getting a vital touch on the winger’s effort in the 69th minute.
Italian midfielder Tonali then crashed the ball past MartÃnez from outside the box in the 76th minute, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance and turning the game on its head.
Bogarde, who wasn’t having a bad game, played a sloppy pass across the box late on, which Woltemade punished him for.
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Player ratings
Marco Bizot Bizot made his 11th start of the season but was sent off before half-time after deciding to bring down Jacob Murphy. It was a terrible decision that changed the game. 3
Lamare Bogarde Bogarde continued at right-back with Matty Cash still sidelined. Wasn’t having a bad game until his sloppy pass across the box was punished by Woltemade. 5
Victor Lindelof Lindelof has been a shrewd free-transfer signing. He got an important touch on Gordon’s shot in the 69th minute, flicking it wide of the target. 6
Pau Torres Torres made his first start in two weeks since Villa’s 1–0 defeat to Brentford, after Tyrone Mings had been preferred against Bournemouth and Brighton. 6
Lucas Digne Digne wore the armband on his return to the starting XI. He was booked for a late tackle on Murphy that some referees might have deemed a red card, and was also fortunate to avoid giving away a penalty for a handball that appeared to occur inside the box rather than outside it, as officials ruled. 4
Amadou Onana Onana won all seven of his ground duels – the most of any player – and was the most fouled player across the game. 7*
Douglas Luiz Luiz continued in the double pivot alongside Onana and has started every game he has been available for since rejoining on loan. After being booked for pulling back Woltemade in the fourth minute, he delivered a clever disguised free-kick into Abraham’s path for the opening goal. 7
Leon Bailey Bailey made his first start since returning from loan at Roma. He nearly assisted Abraham shortly after the opener, but Thiaw blocked from close range. His attempted switch of play was also blocked, leading to the counter-attack that resulted in Bizot’s dismissal. 5
Ross Barkley Barkley started in the No.10 role, making his first start of the campaign. After the red card he was asked to play deeper following Bailey’s withdrawal. 5
Morgan Rogers Rogers drove forward in the 17th minute before releasing Bailey, who crossed for Abraham. He also got Thiaw booked in the 26th minute and tracked back well just before half-time to block Trippier’s cross and win a goal kick. 6
Tammy Abraham
Abraham opened the scoring, showing sharp instincts in the box. He was denied a second by an excellent block from Thiaw and linked play well in the final third, operating effectively with his back to goal. 7
SUBS
Emi Martinez (for Bizot, 45+4′): Martinez flapped at the free-kick which Tonali scored from – perhaps it was best not to come at all if he couldn’t catch the ball. 5
Ollie Watkins (for Abraham, 65′): Very little Watkins could have done to turn it around with Villa down to 10. 5
Emi Buendia (for Barkley, 65′): Was forced to work more off the ball than on it. 5
Ian Maatsen (for Luiz, 78′): N/A
Jadon Sancho (for Rogers, 78′): N/A
Subs not used: Konsa, Mings, Garcia, Kone.
GOALS
Aston Villa: Abraham (14′)
Newcastle: Tonali (63′, 74′), Woltemade (88′)
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