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Sky Sports grade Newcastle United on their performance against Arsenal and ominous warning for Saturday

6 years ago
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Sky Sports have looked at the performances of all the Premier League clubs at the weekend.

The broadcaster giving a grade for each team’s display and a write-up on the performance.

Despite losing, Newcastle United have been rated as a C-.

Sky Sports declaring ‘It was yet another case of so near but so far for Newcastle this season.’

Saturday was the fourth game in the five so far when Newcastle have lost to one of four clubs who were top six last season.

Newcastle United (C-):

“It was yet another case of so near but so far for Newcastle this season.

“It’s another slender defeat for Rafael Benitez’s side against one of the top sides but it’s a defeat that sees them slip to an unwanted record.

“One point from five games represents Newcastle’s joint-worst start to a Premier League campaign (also 1999-00) but there are positives – the first-half display against the Gunners for instance – for Benitez and his side to take into next week’s clash at Crystal Palace.”

That role of plucky losers needs to change quickly and Crystal Palace on Saturday looks a massive game and opportunity.

Palace had lost the three previous matches and despite winning at Huddersfield on Saturday, they were hanging on for much of the game.

One ominous feature of that game was Wilfried Zaha making a return to the team after missing the last match and scoring the winner against Huddersfield.

It is also just Newcastle’s luck that the big story after the match was when regular diving offender Zaha asked if he had to break a leg before he would get any protection from referees. Zaha is easily the best and most dangerous Palace player and Newcastle fans know that it is only human nature, that Saturday’s match officials will have what the Palace player said, at the back of their minds.

Sky Sports verdict on Palace’s win at Huddersfield:

“Despite finding themselves hanging in for much of the second half, Crystal Palace did look extremely dangerous on the counter-attack, with Wilfried Zaha, Andros Townsend and Jordan Ayew, all taking the opportunity to spring forward at pace.

“Following three successive defeats it was a big three points for Hodgson and his men and the goalscoring return of Zaha made it all the more sweeter.”

Sky Sports grades on Premier League performances last weekend (although they have overlooked Southampton v Brighton):

(A) West Ham, Bournemouth

(A-) Liverpool

(B+) Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Wolves

(B) Man City, Crystal Palace, Cardiff

(C+) Huddersfield, Watford

(C) Leicester

(C-) Newcastle United

(D) Everton, Fulham

(D-) Tottenham

(E) Burnley

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