PLAYER RATINGS: Newcastle 0-2 Leicester

Our fourth home game of the season and another defeat, with us falling to a 0-2 defeat to Leicester after goals from Vardy and Maguire.

After watching the full 90 from the Gallowgate, here’s my thoughts on each player’s performance and my marks out of 10.

NUFC XI – (4-2-3-1): Dubravka – Yedlin, Lascelles, Clark, Kenedy – Diame, Shelvey – Ritchie, Perez, Atsu – Joselu.

STARTING 11:

Dubravka – 6 – Couldn’t do much about either goals pen. Was quick off his line to clear a few dangerous ball in behind in the second half. Had very little to do in fairness.

Yedlin – 4  – Got too tight early on, giving away a few needless free kicks. He then gave away a penalty, raising his hands to block a shot. Didn’t get much going with Ritchie at either end.

Lascelles – 7 – Another solid display while most around him were struggling. Cleared out just about everything in the air and didn’t give Vardy much joy.

Clark – 5 – Looked shaky. Made a few important interceptions from crosses but didn’t look comfortable at all on the ball. Not nearly as convincing as Fernandez. 

Kenedy – 6 – Got stuck in and made some positive forward passes from deep, but never quite got going with Atsu down the left. Didn’t look too comfortable in a more defensive role – communication with Clark seemed an issue.

Diame –  5  – Got stuck in and closed down as much as anyone, but his good work was often undone by some sloppy moments on the ball, with him often turning into trouble and losing it in his own half.  Can’t fault his commitment and effort, however. Should’ve done better with first half header; one of our few chances.

Shelvey – 5 – Was always trying to get the ball forward quickly, although it was a bit rushed and reckless at times. Didn’t quite find his range but had so little to work with in fairness. Played a few nice clipped balls in behind in the second half but still an off day by his standards.

Ritchie – 4 – Very quiet. Struggled to keep with Chilwell when he broke forward and put little pressure on him at the other end, with Yedlin rarely able to get anything going with him. A few poor deliveries too by his standards.

Perez – 3 – Huffed and puffed but not much came off for him aside from one lovely slipped pass in behind for Joselu in the first half. Needs to retain possession better and toughen up. Frustrating once again.

Atsu – 5 – Ran at his man more than any other NUFC player on the pitch and put in a great crosses for Diame in the first half.  Lively in patches but that’s the problem with him, he so often goes quiet and drifts out of the game. Had the beating of his man at times but sometimes ran into trouble.

Joselu – 4 – Won a fair few flick ons but took too long to get away his shot when presented with a big chance in the first half. He never looked like scoring and saw most things bounce off him when trying to hold the ball up and link the play in the second.

SUBS:

Murphy – 4 – Did very little. Hard to be overly critical when we had so little in attack, but he had no impact at all on the game.

Muto – 6 –  Movement was great and he showed the energy and urgency Perez failed to all game. Things didn’t quite come off for him, but he still made an impact.

Manquillo – N/A – Played the last few minutes at right-back in place of Yedlin. Wasn’t on long enough to make any real impression.

(Fancy writing for us? Send any articles/ideas over to us at [email protected] & we’ll get back to you!)

About Olly Hawkins

As a Junior Magpie since birth and season ticket holder, I eat, sleep and breathe all things NUFC! Here at the blog, I aim to bring you news, views, match reports and transfer exclusives as and when I get them.

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