'Brilliant' - Newcastle United star in BBC Team of the Week after Aston Villa win and Luton Town draw

Newcastle United were represented in the BBC Sport Premier League team of the week after seven days of mixed emotions for Eddie Howe’s side.

The Magpies boosted their hopes of making an immediate return to European football in midweek when Fabian Schar scored twice and Jacob Murphy marked his return with a goal in a 3-1 win at in-form Aston Villa. The win was even more impressive as it brought an end to Villa’s unbeaten run on their home patch this season.

However, there was frustration for Howe and his players on Saturday afternoon after they were forced to battle their way to a point in their home game with Luton Town. The two sides were level at half-time as Sean Longstaff’s brace was cancelled out by goals from Hatters duo Gabriel Osho and Ross Barkley. The visitors looked well on their way to a famous win as Carlton Morris and Elijah Adebayo put them two in front before the midway point of the second-half.

But the Magpies showed their battling qualities to claim a deserved point thanks to goals from captain Kieran Trippier and substitute Harvey Barnes. Despite the draw, the Magpies slipped to ninth place in the Premier League table and they lie five points adrift of the European places. Despite enduring a challenging afternoon on Saturday, Magpies defender Fabian Schar has still found his way into Garth Crooks’ team of the week.

Writing in his BBC Sport column, the former Tottenham Hotspur and Stoke City forward: “No-one could have predicted the outcome of Aston Villa v Newcastle. Newcastle have had the most amazing, if not turbulent, season. A taste of the Champions League left Eddie Howe's team running on empty at times. Meanwhile, Aston Villa had gone on a 17-match unbeaten run in the Premier League on home soil but succumbed to a 3-1 defeat in devastating performance by the Magpies after the winter break gave them enough time to recover.

“Schar performed brilliantly in both penalty boxes, scoring two well-taken goals while at the same time defending admirably. He had a much more difficult time however against Luton in a 4-4 thriller at St James' Park four days later. Newcastle conceded four goals but collected four points from two games and came from behind twice against the Hatters. Newcastle held their nerve and produced a result having been 4-2 down while Luton caved in, the reason I still think they won't survive.”