More proof Newcastle are now the real deal as 13-month record finally comes to an end

Last Saturday's defeat to Aston Villa was undoubtedly our poorest performance of the season, but the stats suggest it was a real one off.

I've been doing some digging since then and have worked out that it was the first time in 13 months that we've lost to a side outside of the 'big six.'

Prior to Villa, the last time this happened was when Everton beat us 1-0 in March last year; and that was a 99th min winner out of nowhere. Before that, you have to go back to December 2021; a 4-0 walloping at Leicester just a month after Eddie Howe's arrival.

To me, this shows how far we've come and highlights the consistency we've shown over the past 12-18 months. Of course, a lot has changed since the Steve Bruce days, but it wasn't long ago we were the whipping boys of the Premier League, conceding goals for fun and losing regularly.

Even if we go back to that 1-0 loss at Everton, it was a game we dominated and a freak winner from Iwobi, seeing their 10-men win it at the death with just their third shot on goal.

The 3-0 defeat at Villa really was a one off. Not only was it just our fourth defeat of 2022/23, I'd argue it was the first time we've been genuinely outplayed all season. In the 2-0 defeat at Man City we created more than the home side, a dodgy VAR decision denied us a 2-0 lead at Anfield and Liverpool had a Pope red card and more missed chances to thank for their unconvincing win at St James' Park; where we still looked the better side with 10 men.

So, for anyone worrying that last weekend's defeat was the start of a late collapse, our form over the past 13 months suggests otherwise. We have a habit of responding to setbacks, beat Spurs in the reverse fixture and don't lose often.

HWTL.