As the final whistle beckoned Alan Pardew became so engulfed by nerves that he covered his face with his hands when Aston Villa mounted a late counter-attack. After a run of five home defeats Newcastle United’s manager openly acknowledged he was “under pressure” but then, deep in stoppage time, Loïc Rémy controlled a deflected Luuk de Jong cross with his right foot.

Having deposited a deceived Ron Vlaar on his backside by shaping to shoot before switching possession to his left foot, Rémy then unleashed a shot which flew past Brad Guzan. Suddenly transformed, a beaming Pardew turned to the directors box and waved to his family.

Earlier Newcastle’s manager had made quite a statement by dropping Davide Santon after a disappointing performance from the Italy left-back in the recent 4-0 home defeat against Tottenham. Pardew did not even offer Santon a place on the bench but might have regretted that decision as he watched his replacement, Paul Dummett, struggle to gain a foothold in the game.

Presumably noting the rookie’s uncertainty, Paul Lambert instructed Christian Benteke to move from the centre to the right of Villa’s attacking trinity and Benteke’s muscular presence seemed to thoroughly unnerve Dummett.

Like Santon, Hatem Ben Arfa did not rank among the substitutes after a series of disappointing displays but at least Newcastle welcomed Fabricio Coloccini, Cheick Tioté and Rémy back from injury and suspension.

Although Nathan Baker was required to spare Brad Guzan’s blushes by clearing the ball for a corner after the visiting goalkeeper permitted an early Papiss Cissé shot to trickle through his fingers, Villa’s pace-infused counter-attacks were soon discomfitting a rearguard which, but for Coloccini’s assured presence, might well have become seriously unhinged.

With Dummett a virtual passenger, Krul found himself saving smartly from Gabriel Agbonlahor and watching shots from Karim El Ahmadi and Agbonlahor whizz uncomfortably close for comfort as Villa sought to reinforce an impressive away record.

Lambert’s pre-match message was a public exhortation to his players to turn the St James’ Park crowd against their team. It did not go down at all well with Pardew who made his displeasure plain by cold shouldering his technical area counterpart courtesy of some ultra frosty body language.

Unfortunately Newcastle’s players could do not quite succeed in punishing Lambert for those comments. Although Vlaar was booked for tripping Rémy just outside the penalty area the France striker directed the resultant free kick narrowly wide. Then, on the stroke of half time, Rémy created a glorious chance for Cissé after bisecting Villa’s backline before squaring for the Senegalese. Cissé though seems to have forgotten how to score in recent months and scooped his shot wastefully over the bar from 10 yards.

Early in what, from the Geordie perspective, proved a much improved second half Dummett almost atoned for earlier errors by dispatching an angled, curving shot which skimmed the bar. A forlorn appeal for a handball penalty against Leandro Bacuna followed but their first goal since January 18 stubbornly refused to materialise.

By now the tension in the home dug-out was acute with Pardew covering his face with his hands on one late occasion when Villa broke with venom. Fear turned to 88th minute disbelief when substitute Luuk de Jong picked out Rémy unmarked and 12 yards out only for Newcastle’s best finisher to see his shot rebound off the base of a post.

The sense of fortune frowning on Tyneside was overwhelming but then the ball deflected off Baker and Rémy’s fancy footwork did the rest.

• Newcastle United
• Aston Villa
• Premier League

Louise Taylor

theguardian.com