Newcastle 1 Aston Villa 1 player ratings: Who was the star man in St James' stalemate?

Jordan Ayew's piledriver denied Newcastle a third successive Barclays Premier League victory and handed relegation-haunted Aston Villa a glimmer of hope.

The Ghana international cancelled out a rare Fabricio Coloccini strike - his first goal in more than 13 months - and ensured a 1-1 draw on a rain-soaked evening at St James' Park.

Newcastle failed to win their third game in a row while Aston Villa are still without a win since the first day of the season.

Here we look at who impressed in the North East

Rob Elliot: Made decent saves from Veretout and Gestede, and could do nothing about the goal. 7

Daryl Janmaat: Pushed forward with typical enthusiasm and linked up well with Sissoko down the right, but let Ayew get away from him for the goal. 6

Chancel Mbemba: Looked more comfortable dealing with Ayew than his central defensive partner, but had some lapses in concentration. 6

Fabricio Coloccini: Was a calm and reassuring presence at centre-back in the first half, and took his goal well. Lack of pace exposed by Ayew after the break. 7

Paul Dummett: Did his best to get forward in the first half but lacked an end product. Defended solidly, but a poorly timed tackle earned him a booking. 6

Moussa Sissoko: Was full of running, getting into the penalty area, creating chances and causing Villa problems down the right, but should have scored just after the break. 8

Vurnon Anita: Worked hard defensively but was caught in possession on occasion, before coming off with 20 minutes to go. 6

Jack Colback: Harried the Villa midfielders defensively and created problems with some decent set-piece deliveries. 6

Georginio Wijnaldum: His inch-perfect cross should have been converted by De Jong, but he had his own chance to score the winner, and wasted it. 6

Siem de Jong: Struggled to see much of the ball in open play but his low cross from a corner led to the goal. Had a golden opportunity to win the match but somehow headed wide. 5

Papiss Cissé: Guzan easily gathered the striker's only attempt on goal, before he limped off after half an hour. 5

Aleksandar Mitrovic: Could have scored with his first touch after Sissoko's cross, and forced a good save from Guzan just before the goal. 6

Brad Guzan: Was put under pressure by his own defence on occasions. Made a good first half save from Mitrovic, but couldn't do much about the goal. 6

Alan Hutton: Broke forward to provide Villa's main attacking threat in the first half, but was hampered by a lack of options for the final ball and had some defensive lapses. 7

Jores Okore: Was solid and composed to keep Wijnaldum and De Jong largely quiet. His pace and strength provides an ideal foil for Lescott. 7

Joleon Lescott: Largely impressive reading of the game was marred when he lost Coloccini for the Newcastle goal. 6

Leandro Bacuna: Was shaky in possession and put Guzan under early pressure with a poor throw-in. Struggled against the movement of Janmaat and Sissoko. 5

Ashley Westwood: Quiet in the first half, but grew into the game after the break and was typically composed in possession. 6

Carlos Sánchez: Marshalled the midfield well in the holding role, giving the likes of Gueye and Veretout the chance to break forward. 6

Jordan Veretout: His left-footed drive forced the first meaningful save from Elliot and his dead-ball delivery was consistent. Found Ayew well for the goal. 7

Idrissa Gueye: Had some neat moments with the ball at his feet and looked impressive on the occasions he ran at defenders. 6

Scott Sinclair: Was a peripheral, ineffectual figure before making way for Gestede on the hour. 5

Jordan Ayew: Willing running stretched the Newcastle defence in the first half, but was left isolated too often to be effective. Was unplayable after the break, and deserved his brilliantly-taken goal. 8

Gestede: Caused real problems when he came on after an hour, freeing up Ayez to cause havoc. 7