It was supposed to be a stroll in the park for Newcastle United at St James’ Park given their scintillating run of form in the Premier League. They hosted Leeds United this afternoon but failed to break their defensive resilience throughout the contest. The game finished in a stalemate and the Magpies suffered a setback in the ‘top four’ race.
Below are the Newcastle United players rated in their 0-0 draw against Leeds United.
Nick Pope: 7.5
Was not as busy as Illan Meslier between the sticks. However, the Englishman made a crucial save to deny Rodrigo around the hour mark and claimed his fifth clean sheet in a row across competitions.
Kieran Trippier: 8
His crosses and long balls were not always accurate, but the skipper kept on creating chances from the right-hand flank with his marauding runs and link-up play.
Fabian Schar: 7.5
Wasted a couple of goal-scoring opportunities. Was solid in deep defence with timely recoveries, clearances and interceptions.
Sven Boltman: 7.5
Had his effort denied by Meslier in Leeds’ goal. Was in the right place at the right time to deal with the Whites’ attacking threats.
Daniel Burn: 7
Balanced his game between defence and attack while featuring from the left. Played plenty of balls into the final third, and also had an attempt off-target during the tie.
Sean Longstaff: 6.5
Won the majority of duels, but he got dispossessed and dribbled past on a few occasions. Failed to keep his shots on target, and his passing game was not up to the standard set in the previous games.
Bruno Guimaraes: 6.5
Worked hard in the middle of the park in terms of winning duels and scripting attacking transitions. Won many duels in midfield, but he struggled to retain possession against Leeds’ press.
Joe Willock: 6
Was clumsy with his tackles and unsuccessful with the dribbling attempts. Did not have any significant impact before making way for Allan Saint-Maximin midway through the second half.
Miguel Almiron: 6.5
A rare outing for the Paraguayan when he failed to find the net. The winger is in red-hot form, but he was well-contained by Pascal Struijk down the flank. Eddie Howe took him for Jacob Murphy late in the game.
Joelinton: 7
Tried to cause menace in the opponent’s defence with his physical presence. Had a few attempts to break the deadlock, but his effort went in vain against a headstrong Leeds backline.
Chris Wood: 6
The Magpies ‘number 9’ wasted a couple of golden opportunities to find the target. Looked isolated high up the pitch and was eventually taken off for Callum Wilson midway through the second half.
Newcastle United Subs Vs Leeds United
Allan Saint-Maximin: 6
Did not make any notable contribution during the final half an hour.
Callum Wilson: 6
Wilson, too, hardly had an impact since replacing Wood in the attacking third.
Jacob Murphy: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
