It may have been the first visit of the new era, but Saturday's trip to Villa Park felt like a throwback to days gone by for Newcastle United. In truth, the visitors could have no complaints following Saturday's 3-0 defeat. Even Kieran Trippier admitted that 'they wanted it more than us'.
That was clear before Jacob Ramsey's 11th-minute opener - Newcastle just did not look like their usual selves - and by the time man of the match Ollie Watkins added a second-half double, Eddie Howe's side were facing up to the reality of their heaviest defeat of the campaign. Yet there was no mass exodus at full-time. Quite the opposite, in fact. So many of those 3,200 fans in the away end stayed behind to applaud their side off the field, recognising this was a very rare off-day.
These sorts of losses rarely rear their head nowadays. Newcastle, after all, have only lost four league games this season and this defeat was the first time the black-and-whites were well beaten. That is why the manner of this meek performance came as such a shock, particularly when relentless Newcastle went into this game on the back of five successive wins.
