NUFC player ratings vs Blackburn – One 3, a few 4s, several 5s, the odd 6, a 7.5 & superb 9

Another poor performance on a nervy night in Blackburn, but we got the job done to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup thanks to some Martin Dubravka heroics. Here come the ratings:

Martin Dubravka – 9/10* – Man of the match by an absolute mile. Made two vital first half saves to deny Dolan and Szmodics. Almost stopped their goal by tipping their initial shot onto the bar before Szmodics tapped in the rebound and kept us in it by saving a deflected effort from range in the 93rd minute. Came up trumps AGAIN in extra time, denying Szmodics with a big save low down.

Kieran Trippier – 5/10 – Some decent deliveries from set pieces, but was too slow and predictable from open play and gave away a few cheap free kicks. Taken off for Livramento ahead of extra time.

Jamaal Lascelles – 4/10 – Would’ve been a six or seven had he not made that shocking error leading to their late equaliser. He was generally solid, dominant in the air and no nonsense, but it was his costly mistake that lead to their goal. Never settled after that and was booked in extra time.

Fabian Schar – 3/10 – Thought he was awful. So careless with some of his passes and clearances and got away with that looked like a blatant handball just as Blackburn broke away. So erratic on and off the ball and looked far too blasé considering how poorly he and we were playing. Thankfully, his opening spot kick was ice cool.

Dan Burn – 5/10 – Steady from a defensive point of view but added to the slow pace and predictability of our attacks. Won plenty in the air, as you’d expect, but offered little on the deck.

Sean Longstaff – 4/10 – Flat-footed, ponderous and far too one-paced. He got stuck in, but he didn’t stamp his authority on the game at all. Missed a huge chance in added time, having the whole goal to aim at put smashing straight at Pears.

Bruno Guimaraes – 6/10 – Showed glimpses of quality and plenty of fight. Some overly ambitious balls forward came to nothing, but most of our play came through him; it was just too predictable at times. Calm finish in the shootout.

Joe Willock – 5/10 – Showed glimpses of the athleticism and interchange down the left that we’ve been missing, but quickly fizzled out of the game. Looked rusty, with a few poor passes and loose touches.

Jacob Murphy – 4/10 – Final ball was constantly lacking, even when he had space to pick a pass or get a good shot off.

Alexander Isak – 5/10 – Couldn’t get into the game. Not always his fault that he was left isolated and given little service, but he didn’t offer enough.

Anthony Gordon – 6.5/10 – Struggled in the first half, but it was his calm finish that gave us a lead. His energy and movement helped us a lot (at both ends) in added time, but he missed a 1vs1 in the second half and a hit a huge chance straight at Pears in the first half of added time. Thankfully, he made up for that in the shootout!

SUBS:

Miguel Almiron – 7.5/10 – Set up Gordon’s goal brilliantly after bursting into the box and slowing himself down to pick the pass. Looked our sharpest outfield player and added some energy and zip to our play.

Harvey Barnes – 4/10 – Really poor. Missed a huge chance in added time after Bruno’s effort was blocked and looked a little sluggish. Movement was poor and final ball let him down too often. To make matter worse, his spot kick in the shootout was so tame and easy to read.

Lewis Miley – 6/10 – Added some composure to our play when he came on, aside from the odd rushed pass to try and release Barnes. The sub was subbed by Howe deep into extra time, with Anderson coming on with penalties in mind.

Tino Livramento – 6/10 – Gave us some energy down the right in added time. Hope he starts down the other flank against Wolves.

Elliot Anderson – N/A – Came on for the final four minutes of extra time. Good to see him back. Buried his penalty, showing plenty of nerve after barely kicking a ball since October.