After an emphatic midweek win against Chelsea in the League Cup Round of 16, upbeat Newcastle United hosted mighty Arsenal this afternoon at St. James’ Park. Eddie Howe made some tactical tweaks which seemed to work in the Magpies’ favour as they managed to defend Alexander Isak’s early goal to grab all three points against the odds.
Below are the Newcastle United players rated in their 1-0 win against Arsenal.
Nick Pope: 7
Dealt the set pieces well with well-timed outings and punches. Hardly had to make a save en route to grabbing the clean sheet.
Tino Livramento: 7.5
Showed his composure at the back against the flair, footwork and finesse of Gabriel Martinelli. Made occasional overlapping runs to link up with Anthony Gordon down the right-hand flank.
Fabian Schar: 7
Made no-nonsense clearances and dominated the aerial duels. His timely recoveries refrained the Gunners from causing consistent attacking threats.
Dan Burn: 7.5
Burn, too, showed his sheer physicality to keep things under control in the heart of the backline. His long balls were not always accurate, but the veteran centre-half depicted his quality while playing it out from the back.
Lewis Hall: 7.5
Excellent down the left, especially against Bukayo Saka who hardly had any impact throughout the contest. His composure at the back decimated Arsenal’s wing play via the Englishman.
Bruno Guimaraes: 8
Worked extremely hard deep down the midfield as he kept on breaking down the visitors’ build-ups, drew fouls and won the duels under immense pressure. Was replaced by Lloyd Kelly for the final few moments of the match.
Sean Longstaff: 7
Was handed a surprise start ahead of Sandro Tonali. However, the Englishman did extremely well in scripting transitions from the centre of the pitch. Set it up for Gordon whose first-time cross was headed home by Isak to earn the Magpies an early lead.
Joelinton: 8
Another effective performance from the Brazilian who worked his socks off to regain possession in the middle of the park. Made several tactical fouls to stop Arsenal’s trademark switches from the deep.
Anthony Gordon: 8.5
The decision to deploy him from the right-hand flank paid off when he whipped in a perfect cross for Isak to finish. Showed the defensive side of his game to nullify the Gunners from the left. Was replaced by Harvey Barnes for the final few minutes of the contest.
Joe Willock: 7
Got the nod over Barnes and the former Arsenal star offered a lot more work rate down the left to bypass the press and create chances high up the pitch. Made his way for Tonali around the hour mark.
Alexander Isak: 7.5
Did his job again at St James’ Park as the Swedish hitman fired in around the 12th-minute mark. He has now netted 12 goals in the last 12 Premier League home games for the Toon Army.
Newcastle United Subs vs Arsenal
Sandro Tonali: 6.5
His composure and technicality helped the home side control the midfield show while defending the narrow lead.
Harvey Barnes: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
Lloyd Kelly: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
