NUFC player ratings vs Leicester – Two 9’s, a few 8.5’s, several 8’s and the odd 7.5

What a wonderful Christmas time it is for the Magpies in the Midlands! Three points on the road for the Toon Army, sending us SECOND in the Premier League following our seventh straight win in all competitions.

Here come the ratings from our 3-0 win at Leicester on Boxing Day:

Nick Pope – 7.5 – Rock solid all afternoon with hardly a save to make; although he stepped up when needed to deny Daka in the first half. Distributed well from the back, a major improvement on his game. That’s eight clean sheets now and counting.

Kieran Trippier – 8 – Barely puts a foot wrong defensively and chipped in with an assist for Joelinton’s bullet header. Rock solid all afternoon keeping Leicester’s dangerous Barnes quiet. His passing range was exemplary all afternoon and set-pieces a danger as always.

Fabian Schar – 8 – Outstanding performance from the Swiss international, keeping it tidy on the deck whilst totally dominating his opponents in the air. Strong showing from the elegant centre back.

Sven Botman – 8.5 – Another Rolls-Royce performance from the Dutch superstar. Astonishing to think a player as mature as him is a tender 22 years old. Dominated all afternoon and at times makes the beautiful game look very simple. Followed up a man of the match display against Bournemouth with a superb performance at Leicester.

Dan Burn – 7.5 – Surprisingly smooth on the ball for his height and mopped up danger with zero fuss. Made some excellent interceptions and tackles with a great showing on the left hand side. Doesn’t get forward or create like Trippier does, but allows us to be flexible in our shape.

Sean Longstaff – 8 – A willing runner in midfield as always, ran his absolute socks off making plenty of good tackles and passes. Added balance to our midfield and seems to be maturing in his play.

Bruno Guimaraes – 9* – Another man of the match display from the Brazilian, marking his return back to the Premier League with a stunning midfield performance. Fantastic assist for Miggy’s goal in the first half and totally bossed the midfield all afternoon. Hopefully the club can tie him down to a new long term deal in the coming months. A masterclass this afternoon.

Joe Willock – 8 – Energetic display full of pressing and quick breakaways after a pretty disappointing showing midweek against Bournemouth. Drove with the ball well and caused Leicester all sorts of problems in the left channel. The odd sloppy pass let him down at times, but his willingness and athleticism was key.

Miguel Almiron – 8.5 – Took his goal beautifully coming in off the right hand side. Put in the hard yards as always, time and time again making a challenge to stop a Leicester counter attack. That’s eight goals in nine games now, Miggy is on absolute fire.

Joelinton – 9 – Was outstanding on the left side channel with Willock, causing Leicester all sorts of issues. Did well to win the penalty in the first half and drove forward with the ball impressively, reminding us why he played in a more attacking role during his time in Germany. Scored a bullet header in the first half from the Trippier corner. He’s becoming a serious player for the Magpies and one that causes the opposition side nightmares at both ends!

Chris Wood – 8 – Took his penalty beautifully, smashing it home straight down the middle, but worked his socks off, filled in brilliantly if ever we were a man down and won several lovely flick-ons to find runners like Willock, Joelinton or Almiron. Has become very dependable as our third choice striker, coming in for the ill Wilson.

SUBS: (All came on for the final few minutes)

Allan Saint-Maximin – N/A

Jacob Murphy – N/A

Matt Ritchie / N/A

Elliot Anderson – N/A

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