Newcastle United faced off against Burnley at Turf Moor earlier today as they looked to secure a positive result on the road to boost their survival hopes in the Premier League. The Magpies made a poor start to the game as they conceded the opening goal in the 18th minute when Matej Vydra scored after some good work from Chris Wood. The Clarets hung on to their narrow advantage and went into the half-time interval one goal up on the scoreline.
However, Steve Bruce’s men showed great character in the second half and found a way back into the game in the 59th minute when Jacob Murphy found the back of the net from 15 yards out. Just five minutes later, Allan Saint-Maximin scored an excellent solo goal to give Newcastle the all-important lead. The Tyneside outfit defended valiantly and managed to grind out a 2-1 win away at Lancashire.
Let’s take a look at how each Newcastle player fared during the clash against the Clarets.
GK: Martin Dubravka – 7.5/10
The Magpies keeper had to make some solid saves during the game and did everything that was asked of him. Even though there was no clean sheet for him today, Bruce would be happy with his performance.
RB: Jacob Murphy – 8/10
Murphy didn’t do much wrong defensively and was quite lively going forward as well. He scored the crucial equalizer for Newcastle and even made a couple of chances for his teammates up top.
CB: Federico Fernandez – 7.5/10
The Argentine defensive ace won a lot of 50-50 aerial duels and commanded his penalty area with conviction. He cleared his lines when required and did well to restrict Burnley to just one goal.
CB: Ciaran Clark – 7.5/10
Fernandez was strong in the air and made several last-ditch clearances to help his side secure the three points.
CB: Paul Dummett – 8/10
Like his centre-half partners, Dummett was unstoppable when going up for aerial duels and was a rock at the back throughout the 90 minutes.
LB: Matt Ritchie – 6/10
Ritchie made a couple of clearances and was tidy with his passing. However, he struggled to influence the game in the final third.
CM: Miguel Almiron – 6/10
Almiron worked hard at the centre of the park but failed to give a good account of himself in the Clarets half.
CM: Jonjo Shelvey – 7/10
The ex-Liverpool midfielder managed to protect his teammates at the back by making some essential interceptions and also created a few chances in the final third. He ended the game with an assist to his name.
CM: Sean Longstaff – 6/10
He disrupted the opponent’s flow in the game but failed to give a good account of himself in the attacking third.
ST: Dwight Gayle – 6/10
Gayle offered very little during his time on the field and got replaced before the hour mark.
ST: Joelinton – 6/10
The Brazilian striker was a frustrated figure in the Burnley half and got substituted in the 56th minute.
Substitutes:
ST: Allan Saint-Maximin – 9/10
Saint-Maximin completely changed the game after coming on as he set up Jacob Murphy’s equalizer and then went on to score the match-winner himself with a great solo effort.
ST: Callum Wilson – 6/10
He hardly got a sniff at goal.
CM: Jeff Hendrick – N/A
Hendrick didn’t get enough minutes to warrant a rating.
