EPL 2017/18, Newcastle 1-1 Liverpool: Player Ratings
Liverpool dropped two more points as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Newcastle. Philippe Coutinho's long-range strike gave the visitors at St James' Park the lead shortly before the half-hour mark, before Joselu equalised with a somewhat fortuitous goal.
Liverpool huffed and puffed in the second half but were unable to find a winner, as Newcastle stood firm to earn an impressive point.
Here are the player ratings from the final game of the Premier League weekend.
Newcastle
Rob Elliot 7/10
Despite the fact Liverpool dominated possession and had 17 shots in total, Elliot only had two saves to make. The Newcastle goalkeeper could perhaps have got closer to Philippe Coutinho’s strike.
DeAndre Yedlin 7/10
Yedlin’s speed rescued Newcastle in the first half, when he prevented Mohamed Salah running through on goal. The right-back worked hard throughout.
Ciaran Clark 7/10
Clark almost cost his team with a sliced clearance in the second half, but he still had a good game. The former Aston Villa man is strong in the air and the tackle.
Jamaal Lascelles 8/10
Lascelles marshalled the Newcastle backline well and kept Daniel Sturridge quiet for the most part. No-one made more interceptions than the centre-half’s three.
Javier Manquillo 7/10
This was not a flashy display from Manquillo, but his defensive work was impressive. He was occasionally beaten for pace by Mohamed Salah, but his positioning was generally good.
Jonjo Shelvey 9/10
Shelvey’s long-range passing is superb, as he showed with a tremendous through-ball to Joselu for the equaliser. Equally significantly, he kept a cool head as Newcastle held out for a point.
Mikel Merino 8/10
Merino, a stabilising presence at the base of midfield, made more tackles (five) than anyone else on the pitch. He looked to move the ball forward whenever possible and was rarely caught out of position.
Matt Ritchie 8/10
Ritchie’s delivery from wide areas is consistently excellent, but his standout attributes in this game were his defensive diligence and awareness of danger.
Ayoze Perez 7/10
Perez provides a vital link between midfield and attack and got himself into some dangerous positions between the lines. The Spaniard is technically gifted and will be important to the Magpies this term.
Christian Atsu 6/10
Atsu did not pose much of an attacking threat against Liverpool, but he deserves credit for working hard and tracking back when required.
Joselu 6/10
Joselu worked hard at up front, although he almost fluffed his lines by allowing Joel Matip to get back and make a tackle when he was played through on goal.
Substitutes
Dwight Gayle – 6/10
The striker was introduced with 12 minutes left on the clock, Gayle worked hard for his team by running the channels and providing an outlet.
Isaac Hayden – 7/10
Hayden helped to shore up the midfield in the closing stages as Newcastle held on for a point.
Mo Diame – N/A
The midfielder was only brought on in second-half stoppage time.