Ollie Watkins continued his prolific form with two goals as Aston Villa boosted their European hopes with an emphatic victory over Newcastle, whose five-match winning run came to a shuddering halt at Villa Park.
Villa, who have won five straight Premier League games for the first time since 1998, are now only six points off third-placed Newcastle having played one game more.
Manchester United will leapfrog Newcastle into third if they avoid defeat at Nottingham Forest on Sunday.