FINALLY, Newcastle United have rediscovered their mojo. If Saturday’s FA Cup success against a much-changed Fulham had been a tentative step in the right direction, last night’s fully-deserved win over a Champions League-chasing Aston Villa was a huge leap back to the kind of standards the Magpies were setting as they finished in the top four last season.

Defensively secure despite Villa’s attempt at a late rally, and both vibrant and clinical in attack as they built up a three-goal lead inside the opening 52 minutes, Eddie Howe’s side swept aside much of the pent-up frustration that had been building over the last couple of months. Even yet another injury to their only fit striker, Alexander Isak, was insufficient to knock them off the rails.

Fabian Schar was the Magpies’ unlikely goalscoring hero, scoring twice in the space of four first-half minutes to open his Premier League account for the season. Alex Moreno’s own goal, which saw the Villa full-back deflect Jacob Murphy’s attempted shot into his own net, trebled Newcastle’s advantage, and while Ollie Watkins scored a goal of his own at the other end, the visitors successfully saw things out to claim their first league away win since September’s eight-goal thrashing of Sheffield United.

Tactically, the Magpies were excellent, exploiting Aston Villa’s high line at every opportunity, and the collective celebrations that accompanied the final whistle underlined just what this meant. With the fixture list beginning to look more inviting, the season is still very much alive.

It seems an awfully long time ago now that the campaign began with Newcastle thrashing Aston Villa 5-1, with Sandro Tonali running things in the St James’ Park sunshine as he enjoyed a dream debut following his summer move from AC Milan.

Since then, Tonali has been suspended for ten months, Newcastle’s form has nosedived dramatically, and Villa have replaced the Magpies as the upwardly-mobile upstarts hoping to gatecrash the top four. Last night, though, from a black-and-white perspective, the exhilaration of the opening game of the season returned.

Howe deserves considerable credit for only his side’s second away win of the campaign, with his tactics working a treat. Newcastle’s main attacking ploy was to drop balls behind Aston Villa’s high defensive line, with a particular focus on the space that was left in the home side’s right-back slot whenever Matty Cash foraged forward. The approach had considerable success, with Anthony Gordon, Lewis Miley, Murphy and Isak taking turns to created problems as they darted behind the Villa back four.

Gordon came close to breaking the deadlock midway through the first half, shooting at the legs of Emi Martinez after breaking onto Murphy’s through ball, with Isak curling wide of the target after the ball was recycled to him on the right corner of the area.

Ten minutes later, and it was Murphy darting clear down the opposite flank, only for his driven low effort to be parried by Martinez. Sean Longstaff bounced on the loose ball, but his follow-up strike was blocked by a sliding Clement Lenglet.

Newcastle’s forwards were causing the Villa backline repeated problems, but when the visitors scored two goals in the space of four minutes towards the end of the first half, it was one of their defenders doing the damage.

Schar had not scored in the Premier League since the opening day of last season, but the Swiss centre-half put that right in dramatic fashion with two clinical close-range finishes.

The first came direct from a Kieran Trippier corner, with the ball passing through the penalty area until it reached Schar, who stabbed home from the edge of the six-yard box.

Four minutes later, and when another Trippier corner was cleared to Gordon, the winger drilled in a fiercely-struck shot from distance. The ball deflected off Lenglet and crashed against the crossbar, with Schar reacting quickest to sweep home the rebound.

Finally, it looked as though Newcastle’s luck was turning. As has been the case on so many occasions this season, though, an injury issue was about to rear its head. Isak has struggled with muscular problems throughout the campaign, and two minutes before the break, the Swede was cutting a downcast figure again, down on his haunches receiving treatment. Unable to continue, he was replaced by Miguel Almiron, back in the squad after recovering from an illness, with Gordon playing as the central striker.

Villa created next to nothing before the interval, with their best opportunity coming to nothing when John McGinn headed over in stoppage time, and the home side’s hopes of a recovery were dented further when Newcastle added a third goal seven minutes into the second half.

A brilliant passing move saw Gordon send Almiron away down the left, and after straining every sinew to break clear, the Paraguayan slid a low cross across the area. Murphy’s attempt to convert at the back post didn’t quite go to plan, but a sliding Moreno was unable to prevent himself from diverting the ball past a helpless Martinez and into his own net.

Villa Park was silenced, but to the home side’s credit, Villa roused themselves to regain a foothold in the game. Watkins had barely had a kick in the opening 70 minutes, but when substitute Leon Bailey slid over a low cross from the right, the England international burst between Schar and Sven Botman to slot home.

Two minutes later, and Watkins had the ball in the net again. This time though, a VAR check confirmed he had strayed inches offside before breaking clear to clip past Martin Dubravka, effectively ending Villa’s hopes of an unlikely recovery.