Newcastle United entertained Fulham at St. James’ Park earlier tonight looking to gain all three points from this clash at home. The Magpies struggled to give a good account of themselves in the first 45 minutes and conceded the opening goal in the 42nd minute when Matt Ritchie scored an unfortunate own goal while trying to defend a corner. The Cottagers hung on to their narrow advantage and went into the half-time break one goal up.
The Tyneside giants put the pressure on the opposition defenders in the second half and equalised in the 64th minute via Callum Wilson’s penalty. Despite going a man up after Fulham’s Joachim Anderson was sent off, Newcastle failed to make their numerical advantage count as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Tyneside.
Let’s take a look at how each Newcastle player performed during the clash against the Cottagers.
GK: Karl Darlow – 7/10
The Magpies goalkeeper made some solid stops during the game but will be disappointed after conceding a goal just before half-time.
RB: DeAndre Yedlin – 6.5/10
He defended valiantly inside his half but lacked the hunger to get forward. Overall, it was a solid display from him tonight.
CB: Federico Fernandez – 6/10
Fernandez made some important clearances in the first half but was taken off at half-time.
CB: Ciaran Clark – 6.5/10
Clark had to work hard defensively, but he stood up to the test. He did well to keep a shutout in the second half.
LB: Paul Dummett – 6/10
He made a few crucial interceptions but struggled to influence the game going forward.
RM: Matt Ritchie – 5/10
Ritchie scored an unfortunate own goal in the first half. To his credit, he recovered well and put in a battling display in the second half.
CM: Jonjo Shelvey – 6/10
The ex-Liverpool midfielder tried his best to make a positive impact but was unable to cut open the Fulham defence during the 90 minutes.
CM: Sean Longstaff – 8/10
Longstaff protected his backline quite well and made some crucial defensive contributions for his side. He also created a couple of decent goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates in the opposition half.
LM: Miguel Almiron – 7/10
Almiron’s pace caused a lot of problems for the Cottagers in the second half. He was a constant nuisance for them on the counter.
ST: Callum Wilson – 8/10
The Magpies marksman earned the penalty after being dragged down by Anderson. He kept his composure to convert the resulting spot-kick, which was enough for his team to salvage a point.
ST: Joelinton – 6/10
The Brazilian striker produced a tireless shift but was toothless in front of the opponent’s goal.
Substitutes:
CM: Isaac Hayden – 7/10
He came on at half-time and produced an impressive defensive performance in the second 45 minutes.
ST: Dwight Gayle – 6/10
Gayle hardly got a sniff at goal.
LM: Ryan Fraser – 6/10
He struggled to get himself involved in the game after coming off the bench.
