Full-time: Newcastle United 1 Aston Villa 0

JOHN CARVER is celebrating his first home win as Newcastle’s interim head coach after Papiss Cisse’s first-half strike settled a dour encounter with relegation-threatened Aston Villa.

Cisse converted Daryl Janmaat’s cross eight minutes before the interval to ensure Newcastle’s returned to winning ways after last weekend’s thrashing at Manchester City.

Substitute Ayoze Perez struck the woodwork with a header in the second half, and the Magpies deservedly claimed all three points despite lacking fluency for the majority of the afternoon.

Tim Krul produced a decent save to deny Tom Cleverley midway through the second period, but Newcastle were rarely troubled by a Villa side who remain rooted in the bottom three. On this evidence, new Villa Park boss Tim Sherwood has a sizeable job on his hands.

Carver made four changes to the side that was hammered 5-0 at the Etihad, with Newcastle lining up in an old-fashioned 4-4-2 formation that featured two orthodox wingers.

Sammy Ameobi and Gabriel Obertan had clearly been instructed to hug the flanks, with Emmanuel Riviere preferred to Perez in attack.

If Carver hoped his switches would bring some fluency to Newcastle’s attacking play, however, he would have been disappointed until Cisse broke the deadlock eight minutes before the break.

The majority of Newcastle’s first-half attacking was pedestrian and predictable, with the recalled Mehdi Abeid particularly culpable of repeatedly conceding possession under little or no pressure.

Newcastle created the first chance of the game as Janmaat saw his long-range effort deflected wide in the 12th minute, but the hosts did not threaten again until Cisse struck.

In fairness, Aston Villa were not really any more threatening, although the visitors could at least claim to have looked the likelier scorers for most of the first half.

Christian Benteke fired a first-time volley narrowly wide after Ashley Westwood floated a cross to the back post, and the Belgian striker tested Krul for the first time with a superb acrobatic effort in the 28th minute.

Mike Williamson headed the ball into the air in his own penalty area, and Benteke fired in an overhead kick that Krul did well to turn behind for a corner.

Krul was called into action again shortly after, getting down adeptly to keep out Scott Sinclair’s first-time effort, but having offered hardly anything as an attacking force in the opening 37 minutes, Newcastle unexpectedly claimed the lead with their first shot on target.

Jores Okore, who was a shaky presence at the heart of the Villa back four all afternoon, failed to connect with Janmaat’s right-wing cross, and Cisse displayed excellent composure to bring the ball down and slot a low finish past Brad Guzan.

It was the Senegalese striker’s 11th goal of the season, and his first at St James’ Park since the win over Everton in Alan Pardew’s final game in charge.

The breakthrough did little to enhance Newcastle’s fluency, although the hosts fashioned a decent opportunity at the start of the second half, with Cisse glancing Ameobi’s left-wing free-kick wide of the left-hand post.

Newcastle suffered an injury blow moments later, with Massadio Haidara forced to leave the field on a stretcher after he went down in what looked like innocuous circumstances close to the centre circle.

Ryan Taylor replaced him at left-back, but the substitute was beaten by Cleverley moments after coming onto the field, and Krul had to get down well to keep out the midfielder’s shot with his legs.

Obertan spurned a decent chance to double Newcastle’s advantage when he broke menacingly from the halfway line, only to dally for an eternity as he failed to get a shot away.

His wastefulness was almost punished moments later as Krul’s failure to collect a corner sparked an almighty scramble in the penalty area that required important blocks from Taylor and Fabricio Coloccini to prevent Newcastle’s goal being breached.

The hosts hadn’t threatened for a while at the other end, but they twice went close within a minute as their substitutes had a positive effect.

First, Taylor curled in a 20-yard free-kick that Guzan turned around the post, then from the resultant corner, Perez headed against the back post after Villa’s goalkeeper flapped at Ameobi’s delivery.

Having been unable to double  their lead, Newcastle had to endure six minutes of added time, but their win was confirmed when former Magpies midfielder Charles N’Zogbia blazed over from the edge of the box.

Newcastle (4-4-2): Krul; Janmaat, Coloccini, Williamson, Haidara (R Taylor 61); Obertan (Gouffran 78), Abeid, Sissoko, Ameobi; Riviere (Perez 73), Cisse.

Subs (not used): Woodman (gk), Anita, Gutierrez, Armstrong.

Aston Villa (4-4-2): Guzan; Hutton, Okore, Clark, Lowton (Bacuna 82); Sinclair (N’Zogbia 66), Delph, Westwood, Cleverley; Benteke, Agbonlahor (Weimann 73).

Subs (not used): Given (gk), Grealish, Sanchez, Gil.