The omens of Sandro Tonali scoring twice in the same game of a knockout competition for Newcastle United are certainly encouraging.
A Carabao Cup quarter-final brace against Brentford in December 2024 kickstarted his transformative shift to No 6, which culminated in Wembley glory and Champions League qualification last season.
Can it inspire a deep run in the FA Cup and potentially further silverware this time around?
Ever since Tonali offered an honest appraisal of his own long-term future on Tyneside in early-November, there have been scant few occasions in which the Italian has delivered his imperious best for Newcastle. As the speculation linking Tonali with Arsenal, Juventus and Chelsea have grown since deadline day, and as his agent has stoked that further with some suspect remarks, his performances have only dipped further.
Even his cameo during the uplifting 2-1 victory at Tottenham on Tuesday was poor, with the 25-year-old repeatedly ceding possession when Newcastle just needed to see the game out. Questions about his application and even his commitment had been raised among the fanbase.
Yet on the day it was confirmed their talismanic captain Bruno Guimaraes will miss between six and 10 weeks due to a hamstring problem, and in a feisty and controversial match at Villa Park when individual inspiration was desperately required, Tonali stepped up.
The eventual 3-1 scoreline against 10-man Aston Villa does not offer anything like the full picture of this FA Cup fourth-round tie. Not only were Newcastle behind at half-time, they found themselves on the wrong end of multiple woeful officiating blunders — with a lack of VAR in this competition meaning they could not be corrected — and multiple apparent injustices.
But at the 39th time of asking this season, and after 40 games without a goal stretching back to last May, Tonali finally found the back of the net. Twice.
Tonali celebrates drawing Newcastle level at Villa Park (Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
Both goals were vital, too. The first was a 63rd-minute equaliser which not only broke Villa’s dogged resistance, but also came immediately after Newcastle were denied a penalty for Lucas Digne handling Kieran Trippier’s cross inside the box, with a free-kick bizarrely awarded instead.
The second, meanwhile, put Newcastle ahead. And while Tonali’s leveller was fortuitous, taking a heavy deflection off Douglas Luiz, his second strike was arrowed expertly into the bottom corner from outside the area.
His decision to take on the shot, never mind execute it so perfectly, hinted that Tonali’s self-belief is returning.
Perversely, Guimaraes’ absence may have helped Tonali himself, even if Newcastle will desperately miss the Brazilian. This was only the second time, after the Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg victory at Arsenal in January 2025, Newcastle have won without Guimaraes in 14 matches across all competitions since February 2022.
They have still yet to triumph in any of the 12 Premier League games in which Guimaraes has not started since his full debut, but perhaps knowing that the captain will be unavailable until after the March international break offers greater clarity and incentive for others to fill that void.
Newcastle, with and without Guimaraes
| Metric | With | Without |
|---|---|---|
|
Games |
189 |
14 |
|
Wins |
102 |
2 |
|
Draws |
36 |
6 |
|
Losses |
51 |
6 |
|
Win percentage |
54% |
14.3% |
Jacob Ramsey is now starting to show what he can deliver for Newcastle, while Nick Woltemade was repurposed as a No-10-cum-attacking-midfielder against Villa. The German has been training regularly in a deeper position and has looked more comfortable in that role.
But it is Tonali who is going to have to become orchestrator-in-chief from deep again, especially with Lewis Miley currently struggling with a leg problem. In recent months, Guimaraes has often been at his most impactful when Tonali has not been on the field — and Eddie Howe must hope that the former’s absence has the same effect on the latter.
“The only way Sandro can answer any questions about his performances is on the pitch. He responded really well,” Howe told reporters afterwards.
“We needed players to step up in Bruno’s absence. We needed the creativity gap that Bruno will leave filled. We needed the passion that Bruno shows on the pitch filled. I thought all three midfielders did that.
“All our midfield contributed massively. We’re going to need that during Bruno’s absence.”
Newcastle experienced some questionable refereeing decisions but found a way to win (Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
Beyond his two goals, Tonali managed 10 passes into the final third. His passing accuracy was only 77 per cent, however, which is significantly down on his metronomic best. Athletically, the Italian still has not returned to his top levels yet, either.
“He’s a wonderful talent,” Alan Shearer, Newcastle’s record goalscorer, said during BBC’s coverage of the game. “He perhaps hasn’t been at his brilliant best this season but I’m just hoping that this is the start of what we saw last season where he was running the midfield.”
The noise around Tonali’s future has almost certainly affected the midfielder.
But, as frustrated as many inside Newcastle have been about the speculation, given Tonali has given no indication to the club that he wants to leave, Howe has maintained a close bond with the Italy international.
“We’ve got a great relationship,” Howe said, when asked about Tonali running across to celebrate his second goal with an embrace. “There’s a healthy respect between us.
“I’m very grateful for how Sandro’s committed to everything I’ve asked him to do. I think he’s grateful that we’ve backed him in every sense and continue to want to see him flourish and play his very best football here.”
Nick Woltemade added a third Newcastle goal late on at Villa (Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
Importantly, Woltemade also ended his own long drought. The German had gone 14 games without scoring but added the third, with Newcastle scoring with each of their three shots on target.
That ensured Newcastle made it successive away wins, which is quite the feat for a team who had only managed three in all competitions before February — and feels hugely significant for Howe, who was at his lowest ebb following the defeat to Brentford last week.
“We’re fully behind him, playing for him,” Kieran Trippier told BBC. “This one’s for him.”
A kind fifth-round draw would be welcome, given Newcastle’s schedule does not relent until at least mid-March, but at least their name is in the hat. Even with Guimaraes out, if Tonali can rediscover anything close to his best form, Newcastle are capable of returning to Wembley.
