NUFC player ratings vs Man Utd – One 8, three 7s, several 6s, a few 5s and one sluggish 4

A heartbreaking day at Wembley for the Toon Army, where Eddie Howe’s Mags came up short against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup Final. Goals from Casemiro and Marcus Rashford broke our hearts in a game where we never really reached the levels required to win the game.

A memorable weekend nevertheless. Here come the ratings from a proud but disappointing day:

Loris Karius – 6 – Should’ve done better with the second goal in my option, but it did take a cruel deflection. After that, had a really solid game making a few big saves to keep us in it. Tipped Weghorst’s effort over in the first half and stood up well to deny Rashford and Fernandes.

Kieran Trippier – 6 – A true leader who tried to keep spirits up after we went 2-0 down. His set piece delivery was off all afternoon, however. We won a host of corners and free kicks in that second half but never really made the most of them. Did deliver one lovely cross from open play for Dan Burn, who headed wide. Steady but well below his best from a creative point of view.

Fabian Schar – 6 – Took a heavy whack from Martinez early on which obviously unsettled him. Got done by Casemiro for his headed goal and tried to battle on. Didn’t manage to step out of defence with the ball as well as we know he can. but made one perfectly timed tackle to stop a dangerous break in the second half.

Sven Botman – 6 – Won his fair share of aerial battles against Weghorst and did well to bully Sancho off the ball in the second half, but wasn’t always at his dominant best and his distribution was a few levels below what we’ve come to expect. He will come back stronger. Unlucky to see his attempt to block Rashford’s effort loop over Karius.

Dan Burn – 5 – Antony gave him absolute nightmares in the first half, which made for a real tough watch at times. Grew into the second half, making some crunching tackles, but overall he struggled to pose a threat going forward and showed his limitations in possession.

Bruno Guimaraes – 7 – Tried to force us forward and drive us with creative play. Put himself about brilliantly and showed incredible heart. Shed some tears at full time which was absolutely heartbreaking to see. Another player who will come back stronger from this experience, learn from it and move forward. Already a club legend.

Sean Longstaff – 5 – Had the opportunity to cement himself as a club legend, but it wasn’t to be. Made a tidy start to the game but was outclasses by the likes of Casemiro and Fernandes before he was hooked at half time to make way for Isak.

Joelinton – 7 – Excellent in transition in the first half, bursting past Manchester United players and breaking the lines. Faded in the second half and seemed to run out of ideas when we were trying to break down a Man Utd side who looked to protect what they had. Booked in the first half for a blatant pull of Casemiro’s shirt.

Miguel Almiron – 5 – Didn’t create any chances and looked really one dimensional. A poor performance from Miggy who looked a bit leggy for the first time this season and didn’t show enough quality when he needed to in the final third, flashing a few half chances high and wide. Needs a rest and perhaps a good opportunity to rotate him with Gordon at the weekend.

Allan Saint-Maximin – 7 – A mixed bag, but he deserves real credit for being the only player who looked like creating something from nothing. So unfortunate not to score in the first half with De Gea making a smart save from close range. Got Dalot booked early on, caused Wan-Bisaka problems and forced a few second half corners after some mazy dribbling, but there was also some sloppy moments where he ran into trouble, picked the wrong ball or saw a pass inside fall straight to a red shirt.

Callum Wilson – 4 – Really struggled to pose a threat. Didn’t hold the ball up, didn’t link up play and looked off the pace. I absolutely love Wilson but Varane and Martinez handled him with ease all afternoon. A sluggish performance and looked frustrated at the end, getting into a scuffle with Martinez.

Substitutes:

Alexander Isak – 8 – Outstanding when he came on with direct dribbling and link up play between attack and midfield. Showed real pace an positivity on the ball to run at the Man Utd defence. Showed his class, but there wasn’t enough quality around him to help spark a comeback. Has to be our starting striker going forward.

Jacob Murphy – 6 – Injected some energy and made some fantastic tackles to cut out counter attacks. Wasted a few decent openings late on and wasn’t far off with a powerful effort from range.

Joe Willock – 5 – Didn’t get anything going down the left side, which looked lacking in options after Saint-Maximin went off.

Elliot Anderson – N/A – On for the final few minutes.

Matt Ritchie – N/A – Came on in extra time.

One thought on “NUFC player ratings vs Man Utd – One 8, three 7s, several 6s, a few 5s and one sluggish 4

  1. You’ve hit the nail on the head with both Wilson and Almiron.
    Why they gave Almiron a new contract is beyond belief, Gordon must start in his place.
    Wilson doesn’t seem to have the desire, movement or threat of old and should have been hooked rather than Longstaff who wasn’t great but at least would have pressed the opposition.
    St Max did ok, but like Almiron defenders. know that they are going to cut inside, switching wings may have given Man Utd something to think about.
    Joelinton man of match from Newcastle perspective.
    Jacob Murphy looked lively and could have replaced Almiron.

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