Soccer - Trippier freekick gives Newcastle narrow win over Aston Villa

NEWCASTLE, England : Newcastle United's Kieran Trippier scored for the second successive game as Eddie Howe's side earned a 1-0 win over Aston Villa at home in the Premier League on Sunday.

The win moved 17th-placed Newcastle four points clear of the relegation zone, with 21 points from 23 games. Villa are six points ahead in 11th.

Newcastle had a penalty overturned by VAR in the 33rd minute when a Calum Chambers foul on Joe Willock was deemed to have taken placed outside the box, but Trippier blasted the resultant freekick through the Villa wall to give the hosts a deserved lead.

Villa showed more adventure after the interval and Ollie Watkins had the ball in the net with a reaction header just after the hour-mark, only for the goal to be disallowed for offside following another VAR check.

Clear goal-scoring opportunities, however, were in limited supply for both sides as Newcastle completed the job with a tidy defensive display for their second straight league victory.

(Reporting by Dhruv Munjal in Bengaluru; Editing by Angus MacSwan)