A really disappointing night on Tyneside, as we hit the bar twice, missed some glorious chances and lost a few players to injury in a narrow 1-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund. Here come the ratings from a soaking St. James Park:
Nick Pope – 7.5 – Made an unbelievable double save in the first half to keep the game at 0-0, also denying Malen in the opening minutes of the match. Was a bit flappy at crosses in the first half but a lot more composed in the second. Couldn’t do anything about the goal. Distribution an definite improvement with hands and feet, as a few long throws found Gordon brilliantly in the second 45.
Kieran Trippier – 5 – Probably one of his worst games in black and white. Struggled to get into the game, misplaced a few passes and his control wasn’t up to his usual standards in tough conditions. Seemed to play within himself. Set piece delivery was a bit off all night and failed to bomb forward like he usually does. A rare off night for our most consistent player.
Jamaal Lascelles – 6 – Him and Schar looked a bit lost in the first half and were exposed on a few occasions. Won the ball brilliantly in the air from defensive set pieces and won plenty battles with Fullkrug, also making a vital block to deny Malen in the first half. A little one dimensional on the ball but to be expected.
Fabian Schar – 6 – After a stunning display of passing against Palace, he was below his best in this one, with a few raking balls going astray. Did make one outstanding sliding tackle in the second half to stop a dangerous break, but seemed exposed in the first half as Dortmund found gaps behind our midfield.
Dan Burn – 6 – Looked a bit sluggish and struggled to link with Gordon and Joelinton down our left channel. Made some vital blocks in the first half to deny a goal scoring opportunity, blocking one goalbound effort from Malen.
Bruno Guimaraes – 7.5 – A strong performance from the Brazilian in difficult conditions, as he kept us ticking in midfield and distributed the ball well. Looked a class above those alongside him in midfield and battled away, winning a few duels and fighting for every ball.
Joelinton – 5 – Positionally, seemed to struggle as Dortmund kept finding pockets of space in behind his channel. Looked a little sluggish on the ball and didn’t get anywhere near his bulldozing best. Still getting back to full fitness.
Sean Longstaff – 6 – Struggled with the physicality of the Dortmund midfield and failed to find those half spaces in which Trippier finds him down the right. Battled hard and covered plenty of ground as always, but had a quiet night before being replaced just after the hour mark.
Anthony Gordon – 8* – Every-time he got the ball it looked like something would happen, constantly bursting past his man, cutting inside, forcing corners or winning free kicks. Should’ve done better with a chance in the first half after he broke through on goal. Hit the bar with a deflected strike from inside the box in injury time. Looks a top signing and definitely belongs at this level.
Alexander Isak – N/A – Forced off early on with a recurrence of a groin problem.
Miguel Almiron – 6 – Made a lively start, picking up pockets of space and drifting inside to good effect, but he drifted out of the game a little in that second half. With Trippier and Longstaff a few levels below their best, he struggled to get anything going.
Substitutes:
Callum Wilson – 6 – Had numerous opportunities to slip teammates in, but was a little slow to release the ball or didn’t pick the right pass. Hit the bar with a genius flicked header in the second half, which was unlucky, but he had to score with a close range opportunity that was fired too close to Kobel. A handful for the Dortmund defence and slightly unlucky, yet he’ll be wondering how he didn’t score.
Jacob Murphy – N/A – Forced off with a dislocate shoulder soon after coming on.
Matt Targett – 7 – Offered more in possession than Burn and gave us another outlet in attack as we pushed for an equaliser. Put a beautiful ball into the box for Wilson’s glancing header.
Sandro Tonali – 7 – Looked really lively and in my opinion not to start the game. Belongs at this level and seems to thrive in the big Champions League nights. He will be missed whilst he serves his suspension.
Joe Willock – 6 – Brilliant to see him back but obviously lacking match sharpness. Failed to release the ball quickly enough on a few occasions.
Joelinton nowhere near his best seems to have lost awareness of his positional responsibilities.
Trippier was on fire when he marked Mbappe because he needed to be, despite his ability he can lose awareness of his defensive duties when getting forward and Almiron or Longstaff have to cover, which left Lascelles exposed.
Having said that I think we deserved a draw and it was good to see Willock back in action.
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Distribution an definite improvement with hands and feet, as a few long throws found Gordon brilliantly in the second 45.
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