Newcastle 0 Everton 1 match ratings and comments on all the Newcastle United players

We asked Davey Hat-Trick to give us his match ratings and player comments after Newcastle 0 Everton 1 in the Premier League.

I’m writing this the morning after the game; I was far too cheesed off last night to type anything sensible. To be honest, my mood has not really changed.

Newcastle were deservedly beaten by an Everton side that are everything Newcastle are not; well-organised, clear in their gameplan, and confident in their team mates.

For most of the game, Newcastle showed all the characteristics of a team low on confidence: clearances hurried, crosses punted out of play, passes rushed and going straight to a blue. The one thing that we did well was play some slick passes in areas that were never going to hurt Everton, and Everton were happy to let us do that.

We had a couple of spells in the game when things looked a little more hopeful, but in truth we only looked good when the subs came on; in fact the more subs we brought on, the better we looked. I think I’m correct in saying that it was added time before we had a shot on target, and that is just not good enough.

There will be those who say Everton’s goal should not have stood, because Barry put an arm into Schär’s face, but I watched the incident back, and for me, it was one of those 50:50 incidents that you sometimes get and sometimes don’t. The real reason Everton scored was atrocious defending. And if some Geordies say we should have had a penalty for a foul on Lewis Hall, then (a) I disagree, and (b) Everton should definitely have had one when Schär upended Barry.

I got the feeling that the crowd turned last night, or at least started to. At full time – despite Newcastle’s late rally – the mood was reminiscent of the dark days of McClaren and Bruce. Fans are running out of patience with the manager and the team. Personally, I’d stick with Jaissle and give him time, but I understand those who are ready to see him go.

I don’t believe we’ll be in a relegation scrap but nor do I believe we’ll be troubling any teams outside of England next season. We would have gone seventh (net 6th if Manchester City receive the expected points deduction) if we’d won last night. Instead, a team with limited ambitions vaulted above us into that position. And deserved to.

Lukáš Horníček 4
Actually made a couple of good saves second half, but only after he allowed the ball to squirm under his body to the feet of a grateful Thierno Barry, who could not miss.

Amar Dedić 4
Had a couple of runs upfield but didn’t know what to do when he got there. Other than that, I don’t remember him doing much at all. I don’t know enough about football to say that he was complicit in the poor defending that led to Everton’s goal but it wasn’t a good look.

Fabian Schär 4
Went down too easily when Barry scored, hoping to win a free kick. Didn’t get it. Could easily have conceded a pen when he took the legs of the same player. He looked out of sorts. His passing – usually a strength – was poor.

Dan Burn 6
Showed tenacity, desire and leadership when others showed none of those things. Wasn’t immune to a bit of panicking but not as much as some of his colleagues.

Lewis Hall 6
OK overall. At least he tried. By the end of the game, he was playing almost as a midfielder trying to get things going.

Nico Gonzàlez 3
His poorest game for us. No presence, no authority, and displaying a lack of belief that spread through the team. If he’d come from Stoke City on a free, you’d say he wasn’t good enough on this form.

Joelinton 5
I see him getting pelters in some quarters today but I thought he was a lot better than Nico. Tried to initiate some attacks and looked more interested than most. He didn’t have a great game but at least he didn’t hide.

Anthony Elanga 3
Elanga is back to the version we saw last season. Creates very little, loses the ball too easily, looks ordinary. And completely failed to track Tyrique George as he sauntered into our area to set up Everton’s goal. He was meant to be an upgrade on Murphy, and apart from a couple of times, he’s never really looked like it.

Joe Willock 4
Started quite brightly compared to many, but began to fade, and then kept fading.

Harvey Barnes 5
Kept going. Showed a willingness to get on the ball and attack our opponents more than most. Not a great game. If he had been taking an exam, he’d get a pass mark, but no more.

William Osula 5
He doesn’t lack enthusiasm and that is a good thing. What he lacked last night was service and awareness. Made the wrong runs a few times and made the wrong decision on others. That he hardly saw the ball was not all his fault.

Photo by The Mag

SUBS

Sean Steur 7
Our Player of the Match and he was only on for half an hour.

Instantly improved our attacking options, playing passes through the Everton defence, and showing a composure that those with a decade more experience did not. I guess the manager wants to protect him, given our current plight and Steur’s tender years, but he is a baller, and he needs to start. If not now, when?

Yoane Wissa 4
Well, he had – I think – our first and second shots on target, but he fluffed his lines. I have some sympathy for Wissa – against a side like Everton, who packed the area at 1-0, and whose defenders are massive, a small, quick striker like him is always going to be at a disadvantage. But he needs to improve his shooting.

Jacob Ramsey 2
I thought he looked pretty good when he joined the fray. Positive, combative and determined. I thought he’d scored at one point – my arms were in the air – but it whistled past the post. 10 minutes later he was in the shower after two yellows in almost record time. The second one – which could have been a red – was inexcusable. It just capped off an awful night.

Jacob Murphy 5
Didn’t stand out, but was better than many of his team mates, including the player he replaced. Kept the Everton defence interested.

Bazoumana Touré 6
I know he ‘wasn’t on long enough to judge’ but he looked better than just about everyone bar Steur.

Livened up the team, livened up the crowd. If I was Jaissle, I’d throw caution to the wind and start him and Steur. Our regular starters look jaded.