Sandro Tonali scored twice as Newcastle United came from behind to beat 10-man Aston Villa 3-1 and reach the FA Cup fifth round.
Tammy Abraham had put the home side ahead with a controversial goal in the 14th minute after he appeared to be offside when Douglas Luiz scooped the ball towards him from a free kick. But because the FA Cup third and fourth-round matches do not use the Video Assistant Referee, the goal was allowed to stand.
Later in the half, Marco Bizot was sent off for scything down Jacob Murphy after charging out of his goal with Newcastle on a fast break.
It allowed Tonali to stage a comeback, scoring with a deflected strike on 63 minutes before a superb long-range drive decided the game just over 10 minutes later. Nick Woltemade then put the tie beyond doubt with his first goal for 14 matches just before the final whistle.
Here, George Caulkin and Chris Waugh go through the main talking points of the match…
Tonali leads in Guimaraes’ absence
Cometh the hour, cometh Newcastle’s midfield maestro.
With Bruno Guimaraes ruled out for between six and 10 weeks with a hamstring injury, Newcastle needed their other big players to step up. This applied more to Tonali than anybody else.
The Italian international was one of the stories of the second half of last season, when Newcastle ended their trophy drought and climbed back into the Champions League positions.
Sandro Tonali gets his second goal of the evening to put Newcastle ahead, and what a strike it is 😮💨@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/qyigBWswu7
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 14, 2026
He was energetic, box-to-box, he rarely wasted possession, and he was consistently progressive, constantly looking to move the ball up the pitch. Some seasoned Newcastle followers believed that Tonali was the most complete midfielder they had seen in their lifetimes.
Those opinions have shifted a bit in recent months. By his own standards, his form has dipped sharply. He has been far less essential than Guimaraes, the team’s captain. He has not even felt like a first-choice pick.
That may also need a rethink. After a quiet first half, Tonali surged to the forefront of the game, scoring his first two goals of the season.
Newcastle’s equaliser took a big deflection – luck which they definitely warranted – but Tonali’s second goal was sweetly struck from long range.
It was a stunning finish and, not for the first time, Tonali’s timing was exquisite. Given their failure to win Premier League matches when Guimaraes does not start, there needs to be more of it.
George Caulkin
What’s going on with VAR?
On the touchline, Howe bellowed in frustration. “Offside,” he screamed and nobody was arguing. Nobody was listening very much, either, on a dreadful night for naked-eye officiating.
Villa’s opening goal came from a clever set piece which caught Newcastle napping. It saw Morgan Rogers shape to take a free kick from long range but then Douglas Luiz played it quickly, scooping the ball up towards Tammy Abraham, who controlled it on his chest before shooting.
The goal should not have stood. Abraham, the England striker, had mistimed his run and was a yard offside when the kick was delivered. It was a poor decision, but it was not overturned. It couldn’t be.
Even though this match featured two Premier League clubs, the Football Association confirmed last month that VAR would not be used in the third and fourth round of the FA Cup to ensure “there is a consistent refereeing approach for all clubs,” at this stage of the competition.
At Tottenham Hotspur in midweek, Newcastle’s Joe Willock had a goal chalked off by a marginal VAR call, with the very top of his head and his right hand, which he couldn’t have scored with, judged to be offside. “If only I got a trim before the game,” Willock said on social media afterwards.
This was a much better advert for the use of VAR, as was a late, raking challenge by Lucas Digne on Jacob Murphy shortly before half-time, which only brought a yellow card rather than a red. It left Murphy bleeding, and with Howe suggesting to the fourth official that Digne had stamped on the winger.
If anything, worse was to follow later, when Chris Kavanagh, the hapless referee, awarded a free kick outside the area when Digne – who should not have been on the pitch – handled inside the penalty box. Tonali’s equaliser felt like justice.
Consistent refereeing approach? If only.
George Caulkin
Marathon season continues
Howe may have made six changes for this game, but Unai Emery made seven, and in the end, this Newcastle side was strong enough to win only a fifth away game in all competitions this season.
Ahead of a 6,500-mile round-trip to Baku on Wednesday to face Qarabag in the Champions League play-off round first leg, and as the fifth away game as part of a run of seven out of eight matches on the road in all competitions, claiming a victory over a current top-six side should give everyone a major confidence boost.
Aside from overcoming Manchester City 2-1 in the Premier League at St James’ Park, Newcastle had failed to do that all season, and had not managed to do so at all on the road.
In one sense, there is a negative to this triumph. Newcastle, who have not had a weekend or midweek free outside of international breaks since between their opening two games of the season in August, will not get a breather until at least between March 7 and 14. Should they triumph against Qarabag, as expected, though, they will add another two-legged tie against either Chelsea or Barcelona into their schedule. That would mean no respite before the March international break.
Yet, as stretched as Newcastle’s squad is, their progress in so many competitions also reflects the seriousness with which Howe is taking them all. The FA Cup is Newcastle’s last (realistic) chance of silverware this season, and the head coach is determined to try and add to the 2025 Carabao Cup triumph.
Newcastle’s mammoth season will now stretch to at least 56 matches, with more potentially to follow. But that is exactly what they want.
Chris Waugh
What did Howe say?
“There is a lot to take in. The overriding feeling is that we are really pleased to be through. It was great character from the players to come back from a losing position. It is tough to win here at the best of times but being 1-0 down – I think we did well when we conceded that we didn’t allow the goal and the decision that allowed it to affect us and destabilise our performance. I thought we were unfortunate to go in 1-0 down.”
On the decisions that went against his side: “It felt like it was one of those games that every decision was going against us. Of course, it isn’t intentional, but it was just one of those things that you have to accept. Our players did well to control their emotions and not get themselves sent off for something. It did feel strange. The penalty for handball, I could see it from where I was. It did feel like it was one of those days where it wasn’t going to happen. It’s not easy to play against 10 v 11 to break down a stubborn defensive unit, and I think we did that really well in the second half.”
What next for Newcastle?
Wednesday, February 18: Qarabag (Away), Champions League play-off first leg, 5.45pm UK, 12.45pm ET