Andy Carroll plundered a hat-trick as Newcastle demolished Aston
Villa with a stunning 6-0 victory.
Six days after the Magpies' return to Premier League began in
sobering fashion with a 3-0 defeat at Manchester United, they hit
hapless Villa for six without reply.
John Carew let the home side off the hook when he skied a 10th-minute
penalty high over the bar, but Newcastle were far more clinical
when they got the opportunity.
Carroll, watched by Alan Shearer, the man who wore the number nine
shirt he has now inherited, stole the show with a fine treble after
Joey Barton had opened the scoring with a 12th-minute piledriver
and Kevin Nolan had made it 2-0 with 32 minutes gone.
Nolan struck again at the death before Carroll claimed the match
ball in injury time to round off an impressive display in front
of a delighted crowd of 43,546.
The Magpies were handed a further boost at half-time when they
announced the signing, subject to a work permit, of Ivory Coast
international Cheick Tiote from Dutch club FC Twente.
But for managerless Villa, who ultimately sent the Magpies down
in May last year, their trip to the north-east was little short
of disastrous.
Newcastle boss Chris Hughton spent much of the summer acknowledging
that this season would present far tougher challenges than last
season's Championship romp, and his caveats were echoed by managing
director Derek Llambias in his programme notes for the game.
Hughton, perhaps wary of the pace within the Villa ranks, once
again fielded 21-year-old Carroll as a lone striker and charged
skipper Nolan with the task of getting forward to support him.
|
