<a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/newcastle-united/" target="_blank">Newcastle United</a> ended a four-game Premier League losing streak by defeating Aston Villa 3-1 in the Midlands on Tuesday. Two close-range finishes in four first-half minutes from Fabian Schar put the Magpies in control before Alex Moreno's own goal after the break. Ollie Watkins grabbed a consolation for the hosts, who lost in the league at Villa Park for the first time since last February. They remain fourth but have played more games than leaders Liverpool and rivals Manchester City and will be caught by Tottenham if they beat Brentford on Wednesday. Newcastle had lost six of their previous seven league games to slip away from the top four but victory lifted them to seventh, although still 11 points behind Villa. They thrashed Villa 5-1 in the opening game of the season but since August the direction of travel for the two sides has been different. Only Sheffield United had previously taken a point from Villa Park this season as Unai Emery's side mount a surprise Champions League charge, while the Magpies had won just once away. "It was a big result for us today," said Newcastle manager Eddie Howe. "We knew all eyes were on us today. We've been on a disappointing run in the Premier League, especially away from home. We knew this is the hardest place to come in the league due to Villa's form. "I thought we were the dominant team and just hoping a goal dropped for us. The third was a fabulous cushion for us." Villa substitute Leon bailey, who made a huge impact after coming on in the second half, admitted his team had been second best. "I couldn't tell exactly why it was missing tonight. They are a brilliant team," said the winger. "They play good football and have a brilliant structure. "They were on it from the first moment and made us work a lot. Scoring two goals early gave us a lot of pressure to come back from. "They played better than us and they deserved to be two goals up. But in the second half, being Aston Villa, there were hopes of getting an early goal and they got it." Swipe or scroll through the gallery at the top of the page to view player ratings from the match.