It was good to see a much improved performance, as Newcastle United returned to winning ways on the road. The start was concerning, as Burnley had plenty of the ball and a few sights of goal. It is clear that the players have a lot less confidence when they are away from St James’ Park. However, after the first goal scored by Callum Wilson, it was a routine victory. Below, we rate the performances of each player.
Martin Dubravka 6 – There are still issues in the defence, with the high line causing us plenty of issues. This is due to the goalkeeper being indecisive off his line. To his credit, he did make one decent save early on during Burnley’s fast start. Nick Pope was back on the bench today and with European football on the line, Eddie Howe should make that change.
Tino Livramento 8 – The summer signing is starting to look more and more assured with every performance. The greatest compliment you can give him is that Kieran Trippier wasn’t missed. In possession, he offers a good outlet and is dangerous with the ball. Without it, he is very good in one-vs-one duels, with two tackles on Saturday.
Emil Krafth 7 – There were some initial nerves from the Swede, as he stepped in to cover for Fabian Schar. However, he looked more assured, especially with the ball. His pass success rate was 89%, while he was very good in the air. Hopefully this will give him confidence for the weeks ahead.
Dan Burn 8 – The Geordie looks better with every passing week. At centre-back, he is an excellent Premier League player and he played a key leadership role on Saturday. It was important that the team gained control of the game and Burn helped with that. Defensively, he was very good again.
Lewis Hall 7.5 – It has been an encouraging few weeks for Lewis Hall, as he has earned the trust of Eddie Howe and starting to deliver consistency. There was one recovery challenge in the first half that showed how relentless he can be and his defensive qualities. Four tackles in the game underlined that, while he offered a useful outlet when he had the ball.
Jacob Murphy 8 – Some would have doubted the decision to start with Murphy, but he showed why Howe opted for him. Without the ball, he is hard working and contributes defensively. In attack, he was influential with two assists. He carried a huge threat when we were attacking and he played a key role in the result.
Bruno Guimaraes 9 – We’d be silly to sell the midfielder this summer. He was a class apart on Saturday, with a dominant midfield display that featured six tackles. With the ball, he was the heartbeat of the team and he added another goal to his tally. He could have got two on another day.
Sean Longstaff 7 – This was better from Longstaff. He will be the first to admit that his form has been patchy, but he got on the scoresheet on Saturday and looked much better in the middle of the park. One of his best assets is his box crashing to get chances. Earlier in the campaign, his finishing was an issue. It seems that it isn’t any longer.
Anthony Gordon 8 – Gareth Southgate was at Turf Moor and Gordon will have done his international hopes a lot of good with his performance. He got the assist for the third goal, which means he now has double figures for both goals and assists. This season, only Ollie Watkins has also managed that. Gordon has been central to us this season and he was excellent again on Saturday. In addition to his goal, he won yet another penalty.
Callum Wilson 8 – It was a surprise to see him in the starting eleven, but it was one of the better performances we have seen from the striker this season. His runs were causing a lot of problems for Burnley, while his instincts were there for all to see with the opening goal. Wilson will be hoping to end the season in good form.
Alexander Isak 7.5 – It speaks to his own high standards that he will be disappointed with some aspects of his performance. The penalty miss will annoy him, but he quickly got on the scoresheet afterwards, which showed his impressive mentality. It was a great goal that showed his calmness in the final third.
SUBS:
Elliot Anderson 6 – The midfielder will be disappointed that he wasn’t in the team. He was very active when he came on the pitch and he tried to make something happen. A useful cameo that featured a harsh yellow card.
Harvey Barnes 6 – The winger struggled to really impact the game, but he is an excellent option to have from the bench.
Joelinton and Miguel Almiron N/A – They weren’t on long enough to impact the game, but it was great to see them back in action. They will both have a big part to play over the last three games.
Matt Ritchie N/A – It was an eventful cameo, which involved giving away the corner that saw us concede a late goal. He also came close to adding to the scoring, which would’ve been his 100th goal in club football.
One comment or observation I would agree with “ has Trippier been missed” ?
I think it is a good thing that we have shown we can function perfectly well without him and perhaps he should be a back up to Livramento not the other way round.
It seemed a lot of money at the time, but an inspired move.
Joseph(Quote)
You really don’t like Dubravka do you, the high line was a problem even with Pope in goal.
Remember he was sent off against Liverpool bcos of this and almost the same on a number of other occasions.
Its lack of pace in back four that causes these issues.
Pope is a better keeper but you use any opportunity to lower Dubravka’s scores yet previously other players like Bruno when he was off form was getting raved about if he farted!!
David(Quote)