Electric Showdown at St James' Park as Aston Villa's Emi Buendia Steals the Spotlight with a Sensational Brace and Harvey Barnes Impresses on Debut

Harvey Barnes made his debut for Newcastle against Aston Villa in the Premier League Summer Series, in a thrilling 3-3 draw. Interestingly, Barnes had just signed for Eddie Howe's side a few hours before the match. Aston Villa's recent addition and record-breaking signing, Moussa Diaby, was present in the stands at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to observe his new team's performance against Newcastle.

Villa took the lead in the seventh minute as Emi Buendia effortlessly outplayed Sandro Tonali and made a swift run, eventually finding Ollie Watkins who successfully opened the scoring.

Unai Emery's team wasted no time in extending their lead, with Buendia playing a pivotal role once again. This time, he received the ball on the wing, displaying his skills with a series of stepovers before thundering the ball past Martin Dubravka.

Newcastle equalized just before the half-hour mark when Elliott Anderson skillfully finished after receiving a pass and neatly rolling the ball past Emi Martinez, taking advantage of Villa's vulnerable defensive line.

In the dying moments of the first half, Boubacar Kamara lost possession, allowing Anderson to capitalize. Anderson's shot bounced off the goalpost and fell perfectly for Alexander Isak, who made no mistake in converting the chance. Now, the score was level.

Buendia restored Villa's advantage shortly after the beginning of the second half, yet their lead was once again short-lived.

Newcastle equalized with their third goal, as Robin Olsen deflected Anthony Gordon's shot, only for Callum Wilson to be present and pass the ball into an unguarded net.

Premier League Summer Series fixtures still to play

Barnes, who transferred from Leicester to Newcastle over the weekend, entered the game with just 20 minutes remaining, even though he hadn't yet trained with his new teammates.

Brentford vs Brighton, kick-off 10.30pm BST (Mercedes-Benz Stadium; Atlanta, GA)

Thursday July 27

Fulham vs Aston Villa, kick-off 12am BST (Exploria Stadium; Orlando, FL)

Newcastle United vs Chelsea, kick-off 1.15am BST (Mercedes-Benz Stadium; Atlanta, GA)

Saturday July 29

Brighton vs Newcastle United, kick-off 12.30am BST (Red Bull Arena; Harrison, New Jersey)

Sunday July 30

Aston Villa vs Brentford, kick-off 5pm BST (FedExField; Landover, Maryland)

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