James Collins headed into the net following the free-kick.
But the pressure is starting to get to the Newcastle manager, and he knows there is a section of fans who are starting to question if he is the right man for the job.
He won nothing as a player; he won bugger all as a manager; and have we seriously come on any further under his management?
Yes it's early days, and it's not his team yet. But I have never regarded Alan Pardew as being "a winner".
The performance against Villa was poor, a match crying out for someone to stand out and shine. No-one did that.
Alan Pardew: “He (Young) is the most fouled player in the division.
“We kept saying if you touch him he goes over. I think that was in Joey’s mind. He hardly touched him and down he went again.
“I didn’t think it was a free-kick.
“The game was scruffy. We wanted to stop Villa’s wide players and we did a good job of that.
“Villa have got some outstanding players but there was no real flow to their game.
“We just couldn’t get enough pressure on them to make that nervousness count. The first goal was going to be absolutely everything and they got it just after our best spell.
“I don’t want to harp on about so many kids on our bench, but I feel it’s something to look at because we don’t want to be in this position next year.
“The squad looks small and it counted. We needed senior players to come off the bench and affect the game.
“We weren’t playing particularly well, but I didn’t have a great deal of options.
“They could bring on (Robert) Pires, (Nigel) Reo-Coker and people like that. That’s what we should be bringing on. That was costly for us.
“We gave a committed effort against a nervous Aston Villa but we would have liked to have been better.
“Our final pass and quality at set-plays could have been a whole lot better.
“I thought we started brightly. In that period we had a couple of big chances around the box where we should have capitalised.
“In the last third of the game I knew it would get nervous.
“We managed to create some pressure but not enough really.
“We wanted our best players on the pitch, and that’s why we went the way we did.
“We’ve got (Manchester) United next and we’re going to look forward to that.
“We’re the same as everyone else, we’d like to have 41, 42 points to feel a little bit more comfortable.
“In terms of the other results it’s been a decent weekend, putting big, big pressure on that bottom three.”
"Magpies In Europe" is available NOW! It features match reports and individual features from Toon fans on the 60 'away' trips Newcastle have made in Europe.
Sports Journalist Richie Everson: "At last a book that the fabulous Newcastle United fans can relate to. It's informative, all the facts and figures are there, plus the 120 match reports from all the fixtures ... but it is the articles by the supporters that amazed me.
"I went to many of those games, and this is the only book I can honestly say 'hits the nail on the head'!
"Yes we know the results and the scorers, but some of the facts in this book had me so wrapped up in it I couldn't put it down.
"Was Benny Arentoft cup-tied when he played in the final? Big Wyn and his battle with John McGrath; McFaul scoring a penalty when the crowd had gone home; the trouble in Palermo; it is all amazing stuff.
"I would honestly give this book 10 out of 10."
MAGPIES IN EUROPE
From Antwerp to Zurich
Price: £9.99 (including post)
The book is available NOW!
Please include your address in a letter and send a cheque (or postal order) for £9.99 payable to Mr K Fletcher, to:
'MAGPIES IN EUROPE', K Fletcher, 5 Dunelm, Sacriston, Co Durham DH7 6NU.
Or contact: Kevnumad@fsmail.net