How did the players fare in Newcastle United’s 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace?
CRYSTAL PALACE (3-4-3):
Henderson 6; Clyne 6, Andersen 7, Richards 7; Munoz 6 (Ward 90), Wharton 7 (Riedewald 82), Hughes 7, Mitchell 6; Ayew 7 (Olise 73), MATETA 8, Eze 8 (Schlupp 82).
Subs (not used): Matthews (gk), Tomkins, Ahamada, Ozoh, Edouard.
NEWCASTLE (3-4-3):
5 Dubravka: Didn’t have a chance with either goal, but didn’t make too many notable saves either
4 Krafth: Struggled with the movement of the Palace attack, and gave the ball away cheaply in the build-up to the home side’s first goal
5 Schar: Wasn’t able to keep Mateta quiet in the second half – doesn’t look as comfortable in a back three
5 Burn: Just about held things together defensively in the first half, but was badly stretched after the break
4 Murphy: Didn’t look comfortable playing as a wing-back, either in terms of his non-existent attacking or his defensive work
5 Longstaff: Couldn’t really get his foot on the ball, but will feel he should have had a penalty when Hughes tugged him back
6 GUIMARAES: His long balls provided some of Newcastle’s limited high points – almost set up Isak for a first-half goal
5 Anderson: Didn’t look especially well suited to his role on the left – and was even more like a fish out of water when moved to right wing-back late on
5 Gordon: Much quieter than he has been for most of his matches this season – couldn’t break free of the Palace defence
5 Isak: Had to feed on scraps for most of the night, but just nodded the ball too far ahead of himself when he broke clear in the first half
4 Barnes: Saw precious little of the ball for long spells before he was replaced just after the hour mark
Subs:
5 Wilson (for Barnes, 65): Made a welcome return from injury, but didn’t get a chance to make an impact
6 Hall (for Murphy, 65): If Newcastle are going to play with wing-backs, then he is surely the best bet on the left-hand side
Ritchie (for Anderson, 90)
(not used): Karius (gk), Dummett, Livramento, A Murphy, White, Parkinson.
Man Of The Match: JEAN-PHILIPPE MATETA – The Palace striker extended his excellent recent scoring run with two emphatic finishes in the second half.
