Newcastle United edged out relegation-threatened Aston Villa with a 1-0 victory at St James' Park for what was the Magpies' first home win under John Carver.

Papiss Cisse's first-half strike proved enough to give United all three points and just their second victory in 2015.

The defeat piles more pressure on Villa, meanwhile, as Tim Sherwood's side stay 19th in the table and remain without a victory in 12 Premier League outings.

Here, Sports Mole analyses who excelled and who didn't in the North-East this afternoon.

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Goal

Tim Krul: Only had one or two difficult saves to make but managed to stay alert after long spells of inactivity by virtue of Newcastle's second-half dominance. (6/10)

Defence

Daryl Janmaat: One crucial goal-saving intervention to prevent Sinclair from tapping home a Benteke cross early on. Got forward often, too, and drilled in the ball that led to Cisse's opening goal. (7/10)

Mike Williamson: Looked very impressive alongside Coloccini and managed to keep Benteke relatively quiet throughout. Excellent performance. (7/10)

Fabricio Coloccini: His bravery played a big role in the win as he threw himself in the line of fire to block Westwood's stinging shot in the second half. Like Williamson, the Argentine was brilliant overall. (7/10)

Massadio Haidara: Got forward really well but was stretchered off on the hour mark and replaced by Ryan Taylor. Looked a serious one. (6/10)

Midfield

Mehdi Abeid: Shielded Newcastle's defence well throughout, which allowed Sissoko more freedom in advanced areas of the field. (6/10)

Gabriel Obertan: One to forget for the winger, who could, and should, have put the game to bed in the second half but some woeful decision making let him down badly. (4/10)

Moussa Sissoko: Tireless performance from the Frenchman in midfield and can take plenty of heart from the result. (6/10)

Sammy Ameobi: Never really got into the game on that left-hand flank but did get through some good defensive work. Never on the same wavelength as left-back Haidara in attack, though. (5/10)

Attack

Emmanuel Riviere: Hadn't started a Premier League in all of five months prior to this afternoon, and it showed as the Frenchman looked a little rusty and spurned a good chance to make it 2-0 before the break. (4/10)

Papiss Cisse: Brilliant all-round performance from the striker, who struck the decisive blow on 37 minutes but remained dangerous throughout. (7/10)

Substitutes

Ryan Taylor: One or two huge defensive moments to keep out Villa and looked a menace in attack, too. Good cameo. (6/10)

Yoan Gouffran: Replaced Obertan on 78 minutes but did not look any more involved than his compatriot. Not the greatest impact. (4/10)

Goal

Brad Guzan: Could do very little about the goal and made one or two tidy saves to prevent the Magpies from extending their lead. (6/10)

Defence

Alan Hutton: Started well but dipped as the game went on and did not do anywhere near enough in the final third after the break. Still managed to keep Ameobi fairly quiet, however. (5/10)

Jores Okore: At times looked an admirable deputy in the absence of the suspended Ron Vlaar, but let himself down for Newcastle's opener by failing to clear Janmaat's cross. (5/10)

Ciaran Clark: Could have perhaps done more on the goal but looked relatively decent other than that. Booked for a cynical foul but good game overall. (6/10)

Matt Lowton: Stepped in to replace the injured Kieran Richardson at left-back and did a good job by keeping Obertan quiet throughout. (6/10)

Midfield

Tom Cleverley: Missed arguably the best chance of the game in the second half by drilling a shot straight at Krul. Little more composure and Villa might have earned a point. (4/10)

Fabian Delph: Struggled with the pace and power of Sissoko at times and struggled to contribute much in an attacking sense. (5/10)

Scott Sinclair: Scored in his first two Villa outings but a hat-trick was never on the cards today. Ineffective throughout and replaced on 66 minutes. (5/10)

Ashley Westwood: Had a few decent shots but his delivery from set pieces let him and his side down regularly throughout the 90 minutes. (5/10)

Attack

Gabriel Agbonlahor: Another Villa attacker who endured a relatively quiet afternoon. His pace caused a few problems at times but these moments were far too rare. (5/10)

Christian Benteke: His confidence was a talking point before the match but the big Belgian had the confidence to try two overheads; one of which he nearly scored from. Not at his best but does not look far off that level. (6/10)

Substitutes

Charles N'Zogbia: His introduction gave Villa a little impetus but not enough to earn a point. Missed a half-chance in the closing stages. (5/10)

Andreas Weimann: Did his bid for future starts no good at all with a relatively lifeless cameo. (4/10)

Written by
Shane Callaghan