Newcastle United faced off against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane earlier this evening looking to secure a positive result on the road. Both teams fought tooth and nail in the first half but struggled to break each other down. Ryan Fraser was sent off just before the half-time break after he picked up two yellow cards which put the away team at a numerical disadvantage in the second 45 minutes.
The 10-men of Newcastle tried their best to keep the opposition at bay but ended up conceding a penalty which Billy Sharp scored in the 73rd minute to give Chris Wilder’s men all three points. The contest finished with the Tyneside outfit suffering a disappointing 1-0 loss away at Yorkshire.
Let’s take a look at how each Newcastle player fared during the clash against the Blades.
GK: Karl Darlow – 7/10
Darlow gave away the ball far too often but did well to make a couple of important clearances. He also pulled off a few decent saves but won’t be happy after conceding a late goal which extinguished his hopes of a clean sheet.
RB: DeAndre Yedlin – 6.5/10
The Newcastle right-back was defensively solid but failed to influence the game in the opposition half.
CB: Federico Fernandez – 6/10
He made several crucial clearances for his side, but all of his good work was undone in the 73rd minute when he gave away a penalty which Billy Sharp successfully converted from the spot.
CB: Fabian Schar – 6.5/10
Schar kept things tidy inside his penalty box, but like many of his teammates, he will be gutted for not keeping a clean sheet in the second half.
CB: Ciaran Clark – 7.5/10
Clark made many clearances during the game and came to his team’s rescue time and time again. He didn’t deserve to end up on the losing team this evening.
LB: Paul Dummett – 6/10
Dummett performed his defensive duties well but struggled to make an impact going forward.
RM: Sean Longstaff – 5/10
He was played out of position, and it showed in his performance this evening. He failed to get a foothold in the game in what turned out to be a forgettable match for him.
CM: Isaac Hayden – 6.5/10
The English midfielder worked hard to earn possession back for his team and even had a couple of shots at goal.
CM: Jeff Hendrick – 7/10
Hendrick made some driving runs with the ball and looked lively in the attacking third. He also protected his backline quite well throughout the game.
LM: Ryan Fraser – 3/10
Fraser created one good chance in the first half but picked up two avoidable yellow cards and got sent off by the referee. He let his teammates and manager down today.
ST: Callum Wilson – 5/10
The English marksman was Newcastle’s best hope for a goal but was guilty of squandering some decent chances during the 90 minutes.
Substitutes:
LB: Matt Ritchie – 5/10
He struggled to get into the game.
ST: Andy Carroll – 6/10
The former Liverpool striker never looked like he had a goal in him.
RM: Jacob Murphy – N/A
He hardly had any time to make an impact.
