Jason Tindall thinks fatigue caught up with Newcastle United in their 4-1 defeat at Aston Villa.

The Magpies saw a run of six straight victories brought to an end, as they were outclassed at Villa Park.

Newcastle inflicted a 4-1 rout on Manchester United last Sunday, before putting five past Crystal Palace without reply on Wednesday.

The Magpies named the same starting XI for a sixth successive Premier League match, the longest run by any side in the competition this term.

Tindall, who continues to oversee the team while head coach Eddie Howe recovers from pneumonia, felt the players ran out of steam in their third match in the space of six days.

"Over the 90 minutes, Aston Villa deserved to win," the Newcastle assistant said.

"We can't fault the player's attitude. The effort they have put in this week is there for all to see, but maybe today was a step too far for us.

"We were disappointed with the start, but we showed great character to get ourselves back into the game and go in level at 1-1 at half-time.

"From our perspective, maybe a third game in six days caught up with us around the hour mark. The physicality and effort caught up with us. We started making little errors that are unlike us that led to goals.

"We have had many setbacks, but one thing about the players and the club is we stick together and come out fighting."

Kieran Trippier insists Newcastle cannot use tiredness as an excuse, but conceded he and his team-mates had endured a "reality check" at Villa Park, where the hosts had 23 shots, got nine on target and accumulated 2.28 expected goals.

Despite the defeat, the Magpies remain third in the Premier League with five games remaining, and strongly in contention to secure Champions League football next season.

"They scored straight away, but [it was] a good reaction from us in the first half," Trippier told Sky Sports. "Full credit to Villa, they are a top side with a top manager. They played very well and are a strong team.

"You go into every game to win. Today, we were confident, but Villa played very well and they deserved their victory.

"We want to qualify for the Champions League. Today was a setback, but we've got a full week to recover and analyse where we went through today.

"You come into games like this against teams like this, and it's a bit of a reality check, maybe."

Newcastle have conceded four or more goals in four Premier League games this season, with only the current bottom three of Ipswich Town (eight), Leicester City (five), and Southampton (five) doing so more in 2024-25.

However, they remain firmly in the hunt for Champions League qualification. They sit third, though they could be overtaken by Chelsea should the Blues beat Fulham by at least two clear goals on Sunday.