Newcastle United dropped into the Premier League’s bottom three as relegated Aston Villa ended a run of 11 defeats amid more fan protests.

Villa supporters, angry at the running of their club, halted the match briefly in the 74th minute by throwing beach balls on to the pitch.

Aleksandar Mitrovic headed wide two good second-half chances for Newcastle.

Sunderland, who beat Chelsea, would relegate Rafael Benitez’s side with victory over Everton on Wednesday.

Newcastle’s last relegation from the Premier League, seven years ago, was confirmed with a soporific final-day defeat at Aston Villa.

Against opponents in turmoil off the pitch, and without a Premier League point since 6 February on it, Newcastle once again paid a heavy price for lacking adventure at Villa Park.

Benitez’s side managed just one shot on target in a dreadful first half, as Papiss Cisse mis-hit a volley into the ground from Vurnon Anita’s cross.

They showed a little more urgency in the second half, with Jack Colback firing over a good chance seconds after the the restart, but still not enough to merit a victory.

Mitrovic’s introduction as a substitute for the ineffective Cisse saw the visitors begin to create more chances.

Having lobbed over when put through by Cheick Tiote’s hooked pass, the Serbia striker headed wide when well placed, before missing the target again from Chancel Mbemba’s delivery, while Georginio Wijnaldum’s shot was beaten away by keeper Mark Bunn.

The result did extend Newcastle’s unbeaten run to five matches, but they now need help from elsewhere to stand any chance of survival.

*Villa avoid unwanted record amid protests*

Aston Villa fans have become increasingly enraged during an embarrassing season, which has featured a series of protests at recent games.

Supporters registered their frustration this time by bringing hundreds of beach balls into Villa Park, and throwing them on to the field to disrupt play.

One first-half Newcastle attack took place with a giant inflatable football inside the six-yard box, but the main protest took place in the 74th minute, a time picked by fans because Villa were founded in 1874.

Amid the chaos, Villa did at least manage to avoid a 12th successive league defeat, which would have beaten the club record set in 1963, and equalled at Watford last weekend.

That they earned a point was thanks in part to Villa defender Ciaran Clark, who threw himself in the way of a late Wijnaldum shot to block.

The Premier League relegation battle is set for a fascinating finale over the next eight days, with former Liverpool manager Benitez now needing a huge favour from Everton.

Roberto Martinez’s side can keep alive Newcastle’s survival hopes on Wednesday by avoiding defeat at Sunderland, who will relish the opportunity to relegate their great rivals.

Sam Allardyce’s team came from a goal down twice to beat Chelsea 3-2 and climb out of the bottom three - and, like relegation rivals Norwich, they have a game in hand on Newcastle.

It leaves the prospect of Benitez, a manager who began this season in charge of Real Madrid, starting next season in the Championship.