Jordan Ayew screamer earns Aston Villa point at Newcastle United

Aston Villa's club-record winless league run has been extended to 16 games courtesy of a 1-1 draw against fellow Premier League strugglers Newcastle United this evening.

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Heavy rain bombarded St James' Park for much of the contest and both teams struggled to create much in slippy conditions in the first half.

Aleksandar Mitrovic, who had replaced the injured Papiss Cisse, swung at and missed a golden opportunity in the 34th minute, but the hosts were soon in front.

Captain Fabricio Collocini broke the deadlock with his first home goal since 2011, finding the net with a low shot from a corner that Villa keeper Brad Guzan will feel he should have kept out.

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Conditions were becoming increasingly difficult as surface water slowed the ball down, but the half-time break arrived and the groundstaff were able to improve the playing surface.

Newcastle should have gone two in front 12 minutes into the second half when the unmarked Siem de Jong nodded wide from just a couple of yards at the back post.

That miss proved costly as Villa restored parity shortly after through Ayew, who curled home an unstoppable shot from 20 yards.

The game opened up in the final half-hour and both sides had plenty of chances to win it, but neither could find a winner as the match finished all square.

With Chelsea, Norwich City and Bournemouth all winning today, Villa are now 10 points from safety at Christmas, while Newcastle will drop back into the bottom three if Swansea City overcome West Ham United tomorrow.