The Holy Trinity: Aston Villa conclusions from dismal FA Cup loss against Newcastle United

Villa exited the FA Cup in the fourth round after Marco Bizot's red card turned the tie in favour of Newcastle

Marco Bizot’s moment of madness was the turning point in an FA Cup fourth round loss that left supporters infuriated about a winning position squandered and a third defeat in four home fixtures.

Aston Villa were beaten 3-1 by Newcastle United after Bizot was sent off with Villa in the lead late in the first half at Villa Park. Thus ends their FA Cup campaign in 2025/26 and another disappointing season in domestic cup football.

The FA Cup might very well have been Unai Emery’s third remaining priority but Villa gave themselves a fresh challenge, turning in the kind of performance that can’t just be dismissed as a lost cup tie and shrugged off before the next Premier League match.

There was no easy win here for Emery. Villa don’t have the depth to win a tie like this with wholesale personnel changes, nor to make those changes and take a loss on the chin.

Had he gone with a stronger line-up from the start, we’d have criticised the Villa manager for taking unnecessary risks. The performance and the outcome were frustrating nonetheless.

Here’s your Holy Trinity of match conclusions: