With both sides registering impressive European wins in midweek, it was a fast-paced start at St James’ Park, as Sandro Tonali saw an early effort thwarted by the legs of Emiliano Martínez, while at the other end, Nick Pope reacted smartly to stop Ollie Watkins’ low strike.
Not to be denied, Villa soon opened the scoring in the 19th minute, with Buendía picking up the ball 25 yards from goal and curling a sublime finish into the top-left corner for his fifth PL strike of the season.
Having lost just two of their last nine league games against sides that started the day in the top three (W4, D3), Newcastle looked determined to bounce back from that setback.
It was the visitors, however, who remained the more threatening of the two teams in the final third, as Buendia saw another effort thwarted by Pope. Eddie Howe’s men upped the ante with HT approaching, but Martínez came to Villa’s rescue, producing a magnificent save to repel Lewis Miley’s close-range header.
The hosts’ pressure continued into the early stages of the second period, but clear-cut chances came at a premium, with Harvey Barnes and former Villa man Jacob Ramsey unable to trouble Martínez.
The Villans – keen to avoid going three away PL games without a win for the first time since September (D1, L1) – kept Newcastle at arm’s length with time ticking into the final 20 minutes, and they nearly doubled their lead on the break when Watkins’ long-range strike was pushed over by Pope.
Undeterred, Villa’s striker put the contest to bed in the 87th minute, heading home from Lucas Digne’s inviting delivery to send the travelling support into raptures.
That killed off any hopes of a Newcastle comeback, as Villa cruised through the closing stages to move within four points of leaders Arsenal, who host Manchester United later on Sunday.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa)