NUFC player ratings vs Leeds – One 8, two 7.5’s, a few 7’s, several 6’s and two 5’s

A frustrating afternoon on Tyneside for the Magpies, who ended 2022 with a 0-0 draw against Leeds.

Taking the positives, it’s another clean sheet and one of those games we would’ve won comfortably on another, with missed chances costing us dearly. Here come the ratings.

Nick Pope – 7.5 – Rarely called upon but was brilliant when called upon. Made a great save to deny Rodrigo and came off his line superbly all afternoon, doing brilliantly to deny Aaronson in the first half.

Kieran Trippier – 7 – His delivery was inconsistent all afternoon. A few too many of his crosses were too close to Meslier, yet he still created more chances than any other Newcastle player. Booked for a cynical foul in transition in the first half which hampered him. Solid performance

Fabian Schar – 7 – Solid at the back as ever but missed a few great chances going forward. Skied one from inside the box, headed wide early on and saw another effort stopped by Meslier in the second half. Some superb balls over the top to unlock the Leeds defence.

Sven Botman – 7 – Rock solid as always, but he too missed a good chance in the first half from a set-piece. Read the game well and was calm and composed on the ball.

Dan Burn – 7.5 – One of our best players on the day. Tackled superbly, passed well and dominated Leeds’ threat on the right hand side. Lacks creativity and technical ability at times but a solid dependable performance. Could’ve scored in the first half, only for him to swing and miss a loose ball in the box.

Sean Longstaff – 5 – Missed two big chances in the second half skying both over the bar. A poor afternoon for the Geordie lad but will be forgiven due to his outstanding showings the last few weeks. Not his best showing but will be back in the coming weeks.

Joelinton – 6 – Battling performance from the Brazilian, although he didn’t always make the most of the space he was given down our left. Had two half chances – one was hit straight at Meslier and the other skied over. Combative and created one big chance for Longstaff thanks to a lung-busting run down the left, but lacked quality in the final third at times.

Bruno Guimaraes – 6.5 – Stifled really well by the Leeds midfield who clearly identified the Brazilian as the key cog in our team, yet the majority of our best play still came through him. Tyler Adams marshalled him brilliantly in fairness, hopefully he can find more space to create in the coming weeks. Still found chances to demonstrate his quality but not his best showing, as he gave away the ball in his own half on a couple of occasions.

Joe Willock – 6 – Struggled to affect the game going forward and subbed on the hour mark. Had one opening early on but failed to get the ball under control. Not his best showing and will be hoping to have a better performance against his former side Arsenal on Tuesday night.

Miguel Almiron – 8* – An extremely lively performance from the Paraguayan who caused Leeds’ all sorts of problems throughout the game. His direct play and intelligent interplay was a constant problem for Leeds’ defence. Looked the best player on the park.

Chris Wood – 5 – A really poor display against his former side. Missed a golden opportunity to square the ball to Joelinton in the first half and missed a few good chances second half, hitting one too close to the onrushing Meslier. Additionally, failed to make the ball stick at times. For his size, he sometimes need to throw his weight about a little more.

Substitutes:

Allan Saint Maximin – 6 – Appeared to not touch the ball for the first 10 minutes he was on the pitch. Had a few trademarks runs after that, creating one chance late on, but was generally on the fringe of the game.

Callum Wilson – 6 – Subbed on the hour mark for Wood. Was a handful for the Leeds CB’s, but struggled to pose a threat in the box.

Jacob Murphy – N/A – Failed to make an impact after replacing Almiron late on.