Newcastle United faced off against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium earlier this evening hoping to pick up all three points on the road. The Magpies made a positive start to the game and took the lead in the 5th minute courtesy of Dwight Gayle’s goal. Sean Longstaff doubled his team’s advantage at the half-hour mark with an emphatic finish after some superb wing play by Allan Saint-Maximin.
The Tyneside outfit scored two more goals in the second half through Miguel Almiron and Valentino Lazaro before Dan Gosling netted a consolation for Bournemouth in injury-time. The match finished 4-1 in favour of the visitors which consolidated their position in midtable ahead of the final few games of this campaign.
Let’s take a look at how each Newcastle player fared during the contest against the Cherries.
GK: Martin Dubravka – 6/10
The Magpies keeper was hardly tested during the game but will be disappointed to have not kept a clean sheet.
RB: Emil Krafth – 6/10
He made a great run towards the byline in the first half but didn’t create too many meaningful chances going forward. However, Krafth was solid defensively when being tested inside his half.
CB: Jamaal Lascelles – 7/10
The English centre-back was prepared to put his body on the line to come to his team’s rescue a couple of times during the game. He would be angry for conceding a goal right at the death which ruined his hopes of a shutout.
CB: Federico Fernandez – 6/10
He looked comfortable and assured alongside the Newcastle captain and commanded his penalty area with authority and conviction.
LB: Javier Manquillo – 7/10
The Spaniard was not shy about linking up with his teammates in the final third and performed his defensive duties well.
CM: Jonjo Shelvey – 8/10
The former Liverpool playmaker kept the ball moving in midfield and picked up a good assist for setting up Lazaro’s goal in the second half.
CM: Nabil Bentaleb – 7.5/10
The ex-Tottenham Hotspur midfielder put in a decent shift at the centre of the park. He also provided adequate protection for his teammates at the back.
CM: Sean Longstaff – 8/10
He was a constant menace for the opposition defenders and had a considerable hand in the lead-up to Gayle’s opening goal. Longstaff also found the back of the net himself but had to come off just three minutes after scoring due to a hamstring injury.
RW: Allan Saint-Maximin – 9/10
The Magpies speedster tore the Cherries defence to shreds with his tireless running out on the wide areas. He was the chief orchestrator behind three of his team’s four goals which will please Steve Bruce a lot.
LW: Joelinton – 6.5/10
The Brazilian attacker offered a lot of support to his teammates in the opposition half. He ran out of gas and got replaced deep into the second half.
ST: Dwight Gayle – 7/10
He did well to make amends for his miss versus Manchester City in the FA Cup last weekend by producing another goal-scoring display in the Premier League today. It was another confidence-building 62 minutes from him this evening.
Substitutes:
CAM: Miguel Almiron – 8/10
The South American sensation came off the bench and managed to get himself on the scoresheet in the second half.
LW: Valentino Lazaro – 7/10
He came on to score with a brilliant finish inside the final quarter of the contest.
ST: Andy Carroll – 6/10
He tried his best to get involved in the final third but has nothing to show for his efforts.
CM: Isaac Hayden – 6/10
The English midfield ace will be disappointed for not netting Newcastle’s fifth goal of the day.
LB: DeAndre Yedlin – 6/10
He got some valuable minutes under his belt.
