Forget Trippier: NUFC powerhouse with 12 duels won was the star of the show on Sunday - opinion

Newcastle United moved further clear of the relegation zone as they beat Aston Villa 1-0 at St. James’ Park on Sunday.

The Toon thought they had the perfect chance to open the scoring when Craig Pawson awarded a penalty for a challenge on Joe Willock, but VAR decided that the contact was outside of the box and they were given a free-kick instead.

However, it turned out to be a productive one for Newcastle as Kieran Trippier rifled it in via a deflection – his second in as many games. That turned out to be enough to seal the three points for the Magpies, making it three wins in a row in the Premier League.

Whilst Trippier was the match-winning hero with his strike, another player was the star of the show for the Toon – Joelinton.

The Brazilian, who has been converted into a midfielder, was sensational throughout the game and crucial to everything Eddie Howe’s side wanted to do on the day at both ends of the pitch.

Defensively, he was a powerhouse for the team. As per SofaScore, he won a whopping 12 duels – with nine on the ground and three in the air. He also made two clearances, one interception and an impressive six tackles in midfield to show off his defensive awareness and tenacity to win the ball back off the opposition.

This proves that he was able to break up the play in the middle by cutting out Villa attacks with his tackles. He was strong enough to win his duels and not a lightweight in the middle – carrying his weight throughout the match.

On the ball, he looked to spread the play quickly. He hit early passes, with pace, out wide to Ryan Fraser several times in the first-half in an attempt to set him away at Lucas Digne and ended up with a pass completion of 78%, whilst completing one of his two attempted