Last night’s defeat to Nottingham Forest was a disappointing one.
Going into the game, it was one that many felt Newcastle could win to get back on track after their minor blips against Blackburn and Hull.
However, a series of apparent errors from the referee meant that Newcastle found themselves down to ten men and lost the game 2-1, with a Jamaal Lascelles own goal settling things for Forest.
The home side were not particularly great but did what they had to do in the end.
The Newcastle performance is cause for debate, it would be hard to negative as the side played very well, even with nine men. They kept their shape and were compact throughout, with that in mind, let’s look at my player ratings for the game:
Karl Darlow – Saved two penalties and coped well with the increasing pressure throughout the game. 9
DeAndre Yedlin – The explosive fullback showed just how competent he is from a defensive point of view. He also carried the ball forward well, helping to relieve pressure. 8
Jamaal Lascelles (c) – Very unlucky for his own goal, made many clearances and won headers throughout. 7
Ciaran Clark – Clark’s reading of the game was again second to none. Very unfortunate, like many of his teammates, to be on the losing side. 8
Paul Dummett – Unlucky to be sent off, it probably shouldn’t have even been a penalty. 6
Isaac Hayden – Covered ground brilliantly and held the fort after Shelvey’s sending off. 8
Jonjo Shelvey- A daft moment for his sending off, he was the best player on the park until then. 6
Matt Ritchie- A great goal to put Newcastle in front, the Scotland winger worked exceptionally hard throughout the game. 7
Ayoze Perez – Started the game slowly but improved once he found himself playing deeper. 7
Yoan Gouffran – Ran himself into the ground, a typical Gouffran performance. 7
Dwight Gayle – Had little service due to the circumstances but chased every ball. 7
