It was a hard-fought affair at St James Park as Crystal Palace got the better of Newcastle United by a single goal. The Eagles’ captain Luka Milivojevic scored from the spot in the 81st minute to get his side the three points as the Magpies were undone by the lack of finishing from their forwards Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez.
After a lacklustre first half, the game started picking up pace in the second half as both the sides went in for the goal. James Tomkins scored in the first half from the corner but the goal did not stand due to James McArthur being in an offside position. However, it was Milivojevic, who has been on target from the spot throughout this season, who scored the winner for Crystal Palace.
Here is how the Crystal Palace players were rated from their win against Newcastle United.
Vicente Guaita: 7
Had a decent match in the goal as he kept the Newcastle players away from getting the ball into the back of the net. Made some good saves and left the pitch with a well deserved clean sheet.
Aaron Wan Bissaka: 7
Went up and down the pitch with brisk pace and looked for openings with his accurate passing. Delivered some good balls into the danger area as well.
Martin Kelly: 6
Looked shaky in the first half as he was deployed out of position to pair up with Tomkins. Recovered well in the second half and made some crucial tackles and interceptions.
James Tomkins: 7
Was denied a goal in the first half due to McArthur being in an offside position in the box. Did a great job to keep his side out of harm’s way but picked up an injury in the process. Was forced off the pitch in the 73rd minute.
Patrick Van Aanholt: 7
His free-flowing runs with the ball into the opposition half were a treat to watch. Looked equally good while defending as well as he kept playing on Ayoze Perez’s shoulders.
Luka Milivojevic: 8
Another diligent performance from the skipper. Made some crucial interceptions to get the ball away from the opposition. Scored the penalty with absolute ease as he has done all through this season to give his side very crucial three points.
James McArthur: 6
Was to blame for his faulty positioning as he denied Tomkins a well-deserved goal in the first half. Did well to keep the ball possession high in the midfield as he vied well with Diame.
Jeffrey Schlupp: 6
Kept pushing for the opening in the first half with some delightful passes. Looked a little fatigued in the second half though.
Andros Townsend: 6
A decent performance from the Englishman as he kept getting the ball into the box with his accurate passing. Looked far from threatening throughout the match though.
Wilfried Zaha: 8
Another superb performance from the Ivorian as he kept playing on the shoulders of Jamaal Lascelles throughout the match. Won the penalty for his side after he was brought down in the box.
Michy Batshuayi: 5
Looked inaccurate in the first half. Looked to trouble the opposition defenders with his footwork in the second half but it was an unimpactful performance from the Belgian. Was substituted at the start of the second half.
Substitutes
Christian Benteke: 6
Kept getting into the box from time to time. Looked better than Batshuayi but could not do much damage as well.
Scott Dann: 6
Did well after coming on for Tomkins as he helped Guaita keep a clean sheet.
Cheikhou Kouyaté: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
