Newcastle United clashed heads with Brighton and Hove Albion at the American Express Community Stadium earlier tonight, hoping to grind out a result on the road. The Magpies managed to keep things tidy in the early stages of the game but conceded the opening goal in the first half injury-time when Leandro Trossard scored for the home side. The Seagulls took a narrow 1-0 lead into the half-time break.
Danny Welbeck found the back of the net in the 51st minute to put some daylight between the two sides before Neal Maupay made the points secured just 17 minutes later with a brilliant finish for Brighton. The contest ended with the Tyneside suffering a lacklustre 3-0 loss at the Amex.
Let’s take a look at how each Newcastle player fared during the match against the Seagulls.
GK: Martin Dubravka – 6/10
The Magpies keeper couldn’t do much about all three goals Brighton scored tonight. However, he did pull off a few good saves to keep the scoreline somewhat respectable.
RB: Javier Manquillo – 6.5/10
The Spaniard was strong in the air and made some important defensive contributions for his team. However, he struggled to influence the game in the Seagulls half.
CB: Jamaal Lascelles – 6/10
He won a couple of aerial duels and was tidy with his passing. However, he won’t be happy after conceding three goals during the game.
CB: Ciaran Clark – 6/10
Clark read the danger quickly to earn possession back quite a few times for his side. However, most of his good work were in vain as Brighton still ended up banging in three past his goalkeeper tonight.
LB: Paul Dummett – 6/10
Dummett cleared his lines when needed and engineered a decent chance in the opposition half. He got cautioned for a reckless challenge on Pascal Groß just after the hour mark.
CM: Isaac Hayden – 7/10
He shielded his backline quite well in the first half but had to be taken off on a stretcher after picking up an unfortunate injury.
CM: Jonjo Shelvey – 6.5/10
The former Liverpool midfield ace showed some fight and determination when faced with adversity, but it was still not enough tonight.
CM: Joe Willock – 6/10
Willock worked hard defensively but was mostly ineffective in the final third during his time on the field.
LW: Ryan Fraser – 6.5/10
He was unlucky to hit the crossbar but made a couple of promising runs in the attacking third.
ST: Miguel Almiron – 6/10
Almiron was mostly ineffective during the game playing as a centre-forward. His performance highlighted just how much Steve Bruce is missing the injured, Callum Wilson’s services at the moment.
RW: Joelinton – 5/10
He hardly got into the flow of the game and was left frustrated throughout the 90 minutes.
Substitutes:
CM: Jeff Hendrick – 6/10
He added some energy to the Newcastle midfield in the second half.
CM: Jacob Murphy – 6/10
Murphy made a couple of lively runs but never looked like he had a goal in him.
CM: Sean Longstaff – 6/10
He came off the bench to add some bite and steel to the Magpies midfield.
