Newcastle v Aston Villa player ratings: Trippier 8, Burn 9; Mings 7, Coutinho 4

Newcastle United made it three Premier League wins in a row with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday.

January signing Kieran Trippier scored from a free-kick for the second game in a row but the former Atletico Madrid full-back went off injured early in the second half which will be a major cause of concern for the Magpies.

Trippier’s decisive effort came after referee Craig Pawson had been correctly advised to change his decision to award a penalty - after Joe Willock had been fouled by Calum Chambers - and the official also had to rule out an Ollie Watkins equaliser for offside on the advice of his colleagues at Stockley Park.

After a poor first half, Villa did mount a fightback after the break, but they still barely troubled goalkeeper Martin Dubravka as Newcastle sealed a third win on the trot for the first time since November 2018.

The victory came at a cost, though, with Trippier - captain for the day with Jamaal Lascelles out due to illness - limping off just after half time. Manager Eddie Howe said after the game that Trippier had gone to hospital for X-rays on a foot problem.

The Magpies are now four points clear of the drop zone in 17th place after wins over Leeds United, Everton and now Villa.

"It wasn't the prettiest and we are the first to admit that. The beauty was in our defending and in our detail," said Newcastle manager Eddie Howe.

"In weeks gone by we might have lost that game or not won it. Now we are showing a new found resilience. We feel the organisation is there. We had to do the horrible things really well."

Villa manager Steven Gerrard was blunt about his team's efforts. "From start to finish we weren't good enough and deserved nothing from the game," he said.

"We were honest