Newcastle United 2 -0 Liverpool: Player Ratings
Following Southampton’s 6-1 thrashing by Liverpool in the Capital One Cup, the pressure was clearly on Newcastle United going into this fixture.
With Liverpool starting off the match 6th in the league table and Newcastle in 19th, no doubt on who the underdogs were. However, as it’s usually natural for Liverpool to put up bad performances against teams when least expected, the combination of their poor performance along with a solid performance by The Toon resulted in Newcastle’s 2-0 victory and Jurgen Klopp’s second loss as Liverpool’s manager- his first away loss.
With one of Newcastle’s goals coming from Liverpool’s defender Martin Skrtel, the other was a beautiful finish by Georginio Wijnaldum which sealed Newcastle’s victory on the night.
Newcastle United
Rob Elliot- 7
Considering Newcastle's recent plight, 3 clean sheets in 7 games is an excellent return from Rob Elliot. He was the canny keeper Newcastle needed today. He was rarely bothered but his distribution was inconsistent.
Daryl Janmaat- 8
A real driving force at right-back. He helped in putting great pressure on Liverpool starting with a great sliding challenge which Milner looked to clear. He stood out initially and was quite impressive overall.
Chancel Mbemba- 7
Mbemba is the best defensive purchase Newcastle have made for some time. He almost opened Newcastle’s account during the last few minutes of the first half with a header that went over.
Fabricio Coloccini- 6
To say the least, he had a very lucky match. He deserved to be off at one point for his two-footed lunge on Ibe that didn’t even get him a yellow. However, he decided to show up and make his presence be felt.
Paul Dummett- 7.5
Another very impressive Newcastle player. He worked hard and was quite brilliant. If anything else, he confirmed that he will end up as a centre-half and that he loves to tackle. He did very well defensively against Jordon Ibe.
Moussa Sissoko- 7.5
A poor in the first half but had a turn around in the second. Very energetic and Sissoko was instrumental in the build-up to both goals, particularly in the second when he did superbly well to break away and feed the ball to Wijnaldum who finished it brilliantly. Well played but just needs to become a consistent performer.
Vernon Anita- 8
Much deserved Man of the Match. Anita's performance cannot have gone unnoticed. He ran his socks off and was excellent. Despite all the criticism he’s been under lately, his energy was commendable. However, he was booked after a challenge on Joe Allen.
Jack Colback- 6
Colback received a yellow card for a late challenge on Roberto Firmino. Did not have much of an impact throughout the match. Was replaced by Gouffran in the 76th minute.
Georginio Wjnaldum- 8
Newcastle’s first goal may not have been credited to him, but the second definitely was. The second goal was due to a brilliant move and a top-class finish by Wijnaldum. An absolute quality player. He forced the first own goal and scored the second – leading his team to 3 points.
Siem de Jong- 7
Siem de Jong added calmness, experience and some leadership to the team. He played decently as well. He was impressive with his link-up and one touch play. However, he needs time. It was visible that he was stringing things together here & there, subtly, but that he's still rusty.
Papiss Cisse- 7
Cisse’s work rate was exceptional. He set the tone for the team. He was another player to have run his socks off. He closed Liverpool down and give them little time on the ball. He was replaced by Thauvin in the 81st minute.
Substitutes:
Ayoze Perez - 6
Came on for De Jong in the 67th minute. He was isolated at the best of times but did alright when was asked to defend. Can be called ‘a quiet appearance’. However, the surprising part was Perez possibly being Newcastle’s best player started on the bench.
Yoan Gouffran - 5
Came on for Colback in the 77th minute. Didn’t have much of an impact.
Florian Thauvin- 5
Came on for Cisse in the 81st minute. Didn’t have much of an impact either.