In the early hours of the weekend, the English Premier League played out a marquee match. Newcastle United, known as the "New Aristocrats", welcomed the challenge of Aston Villa at home. Unsurprisingly, Newcastle scored a 5-1 victory with goals from two newcomers, Sindo Donnelly and Harvey Bennis, to ring in the new season.
Impressively, Newcastle's progress was evident last season and this season's squad is even more impressive. In their next upcoming Premier League match, they will take on the dominant Manchester City in what is sure to be a sparkling contest.
Newcastle knocked on Villa's door just six minutes into the match. Anthony Gordon sent in a precise cross from the left, and 23-year-old Italian international Sindo Donnelly leapt up to head home. The player, who moved from AC Milan this summer for a transfer fee of 70 million euros (about HK$600 million), responded to the skepticism about him with a real action.
However, Villa did not surrender. New signing Moussa Dayabi responded quickly, equalizing the score with a powerful shot. But then, Newcastle's striker Aleksandar Ishaq showed great individual ability, scoring two goals in a row to help his team extend the lead, and was eventually named the best player of the match by the fans.
It's worth noting that Harvey Bannis, who joined the club from Leeds United at the end of last month, also came on as a substitute in this game and did well. Not only did he provide an assist for Colin Wilson, he also scored a goal in added time to contribute to Newcastle's 5-1 win.
