‘ELMO’ ON FIRE TO PUNISH HIS OLD BOSS BRUCE

AHMED ELMOHAMADY has many reasons to be grateful to Steve Bruce but you would not have known it yesterday. The Egyptian was brought to Sunderland by Bruce 10 years ago and the full back also followed his boss to Hull and then Aston Villa. But it was Elmohamady (right) who made his old manager miserable at St James’ Park with a late leveller — one which could prove pivotal in Villa’s fight to survive. The substitute’s first Premier League goal in five years — his last being under Bruce at Hull — came courtesy of a mistake by Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka after Dwight Gayle had given the hosts the lead with his first goal for the club in two years. Newcastle boss Bruce joked: ‘I should have left him in Egypt all those years ago! He was one of my best ever signings and I have signed him three times. It is amazing how these things come back to bite you.’ Elmohamady’s equaliser was not enough to lift Aston Villa out of the bottom three. They remain without a win in seven games but this draw at least means they are level on points with 17th-placed West Ham. Just like in the stalemate with Sheffield United and the narrow defeat by Chelsea, there were plenty of positives in this Villa performance. Yet they were made to pay for missed chances early on. Trezeguet scuffed his shot into the ground and the ball looped over after Ezri Konsa picked him out with a cross. Then when Anwar El Ghazi found Mbwana Samatta, he only got the faintest of glances on a header which went well wide. An inspired double substitution by Bruce saw Newcastle take the lead in the 68th minute. From a throw-in, Andy Carroll, who was introduced four minutes earlier, held the ball up then centred for Gayle, who had only been on the pitch a minute, and he slid the ball past Orjan Nyland. It would have been a hammer blow for Villa’s survival chances. But Dean Smith’s own double change brought a lifeline seven minutes from time. From a corner by substitute Conor Hourihane, Elmohamady flicked it on at the front post and it slipped under Dubravka, who should have done better even if he was unsighted by Jonjo Shelvey’s attempted clearance. Villa boss Smith said: ‘Going a goal down in the manner we did was a kick in the stomach but we threw everything at them and a great header from Elmo got us out of the doo-doo.’

NEWCASTLE (4-4-1-1): Dubravka 5; Manquillo 5.5, Lascelles 6, Fernandez 6, Rose 6; Ritchie 6.5 (Gayle 67min, 6.5); Hayden 6.5 (Bentaleb 86), Shelvey 5, SAINT-MAXIMIN 7.5; Almiron 5.5 (Lazaro 86); Joelinton 5.5 (Carroll 64, 7). Subs not used: Darlow, Schar, Muto, Krafth, Yedlin. Booked: Lascelles, Fernandez. Scorer: Gayle 68. Manager: Steve Bruce 7. ASTON VILLA (4-3-3): Nyland 6; Konsa 5.5 (Elmohamady 77), Hause 6, Mings 7, Targett 6; McGinn 6.5 (Nakamba 77), Douglas Luiz 5.5, Grealish 7; El Ghazi 6.5 (Hourihane 70, 6), Samatta 6, Trezeguet 5.5 (Davis 70, 6). Subs not used: Taylor, Baston, Jota, Reina, Vassilev. Booked: Luiz, Hause. Scorer: Elmohamady 83. Manager: Dean Smith 7. Referee: Chris Kavanagh: 7.5.