Brighton’s last night triumph against Queen Park Rangers created immense pressure on Rafael Benitez’s Newcastle United who were set to contest Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough Stadium this evening.
Although both Brighton and Newcastle are on the verge of being promoted to Premier League, Magpies were focusing on the Championship trophy and to finish as league leaders at the end of this campaign.
Three points were required to regain the top spot, however, they failed to do so as the Owls managed to secure an edgy 2-1 triumph and clung on to the sixth spot with a hope of a playoff opportunity.
Below are the Newcastle United players rated from their disappointing defeat.
Karl Darlow: 5.5
Was lucky in opening minutes when Gary Hooper’s early effort struck the crossbar. Did well to prevent Steven Fletcher’s effort in first half. Was beaten twice from Wednesday’s headers as he could have done better with his outing.
Vurnon Anita: 5
Had a nervy afternoon as he was kept on toes by the likes of Steven Fletcher, Daniel Pudil and Barry Bannan. Concentrated on his defensive work and offered little in attack.
Jamaal Lascelles: 5.5
Lascelles struggled aerially and found it hard to deal with the Owls’ crosses.
Chancel Mbemba: 4.5
Was robbed of possession and had an anxious evening. Looked vulnerable during set-pieces.
Paul Dummett: 5
Struggled throughout against Ross Wallace and Jack Hunt. Had to stay back in defence and could not offer much from an attacking perspective.
Jonjo Shelvey: 8.5
The only Newcastle United player who seemed to have a purpose in the game. He struck the woodwork from 55 yards and was denied by Keiren Westwood repeatedly before scoring one late into the game from a rebound. Worked tirelessly in the middle of the park, also helped his defence when required.
Mohamed Diame: 5
Failed to use his physicality in midfield to snatch the balls and build attacking movements for his side. Tried hard to drill past the Owls’ backline, but could not produce anything noteworthy.
Matt Ritchie: 5.5
Started the game brightly with a few one-twos and link ups with Ayoze Perez. Looked a little off-paced since his injury and struggled to get back into the game before being taken off towards the end.
Yoan Gouffran: 6
Looked impressive with his work ethics once again. Failed to make any noteworthy attacking contribution for the forwards.
Ayoze Perez: 6
Perez set up a few decent moves with smart movements and clever one-twos. But the Spaniard failed to test the Owls’ custodian and still needs improvement on his end product.
Dwight Gayle: 5
A huge blow for the Magpies as their top scorer was forced to leave the field within thirty minutes into the game with an unfortunate injury.
Substitutes:
Daryl Murphy: 5
Came on as an early replacement of injured Dwight Gayle. But the Irish professional struggled to get into the game and did not offer much in attack.
Christian Atsu: 5.5
Was introduced in place of Diame and brought fluidity in midfield with his pace, runs and directness. Could not change the fate of the game though.
Aleksandar Mitrović: 6
Came late in place of Ritchie and his physicality and aerial presence troubled the Owls’ steady backbone. Should have been handed more minutes.
