Keegan No Answer To Villa 'Dead-Ball' Record!

Some Newcastle players have (allegedly) been critical of Keegan's dead-ball tactics ... or lack of them ... and United were certainly made to pay for slack marking on corners and free-kicks.

Damien Duff was twice caught napping while defending the post (and it cost two goals), and he was not the only Toon player looking clueless when Villa players attacked on corners.

Villa have the best record in the Premiership scoring from corners, so Newcastle are not the first side to suffer. But does KK work on it? Does he have the know-how of Jose Mourinho and Sven-Goran Eriksson ... both work overtime working out how opposing sides line up for dead-ball kicks.

Let's hope Keegan took something away from this game.

Martin O'Neill: "John showed in the second half the kind of form he is capable of. He was unplayable during that time.

"He has fitted in really well here, been excellent in the dressing room and I have been pleased with him but he can do even better.

"What I would look for from John is to get more a consistency from him."

O'Neill admitted that Villa may have been suffering a reaction during the first half to last week's shock defeat at Fulham.

"In the first half, Newcastle played some pretty football, deserved to be in the lead and we were second best.

"Maybe we were suffering a hangover from getting beat at Fulham and because of the internationals this week we didn't have a chance to discuss it until Friday night.

"But we got the goal just after half-time and it reignites the crowd, put us back in business and we were excellent after that."