We asked Davey Hat-Trick to give us his match ratings and player comments after Newcastle United 2 Bournemouth 2 in the Premier League.
Newcastle took a point they probably didn’t deserve to preserve their unbeaten start to the season.
The first half was all Bournemouth, who always seem to do well on Tyneside. They did everything that ‘Newcastle 2.0’ are supposed to be doing. They pressed, they played with intensity, and they attacked at pace. They went into a deserved two-goal lead, although they would concede that Newcastle’s generosity could be credited with two assists.
Newcastle’s first half display reminded me of some of the nervier games I watched last season. The pressure Bournemouth were applying saw us getting dispossessed, misplacing passes, and seemingly unable to impose any sort of authority on the game.
Thankfully, Harvey Barnes struck a worldie into the top corner withing moments of the Bees’ second, and that gave us a bit of hope.
For me, Newcastle edged the second half, but without posing a serious threat to the Bournemouth goal. The visitors seemed to have all the answers. But with two minutes to go, Jacob Ramsey barged into the box to draw us level. It’s always better to score last when you draw a game and St James’ Park erupted with relief when we did.
I’m sure there will be some Newcastle fans that use this game to attack the team/club. But this is the sort of match I was expecting from a completely new group before the season started, and it’s testament to their resilience that they managed to get a result. I’d also say that this is a game Newcastle would very possibly have lost last season. I hope they can take the positives from it.
Lastly, a word about the ref, who was getting pelters from the Toon faithful throughout the match. My problem with him – other than his insufferable arrogance – was that he was totally inconsistent. Every time a Bournemouth player asked for a free kick, they got it. Even when they dived. Yet if a Newcastle player was the victim of an offence, it was play on lads.
I’ve held the view for a long time that some refs turn up at SJP determined not to be intimidated by the Geordie crowd, and so they do all they can to prove they can deal with it. He must be very proud of himself.
Lukáš Horníček 6
Couldn’t do a lot about the goals and wasn’t really to blame. But he looked nervy, dwelling on the ball too long and sending passes astray.
Amar Dedić 6
As I predicted they would, his upfield forays led to him being way out of position on a couple of Bournemouth counters. He also lost the ball a couple of times and didn’t react quickly enough for Bournemouth’s first. Looked very good on occasions, looked poor on others.
Malick Thiaw 6
Unlucky to concede the own goal for the Bees’ second and had to work extremely hard to help repel Bournemouth’s attacks. Just about managed to come out on top but got a reminder that the Premier League isn’t easy.
Sven Botman 5
Ouch. Not a great performance from the big man, who had made a promising start to the season. Looked nervous as a kitten all first half and wasn’t exactly brimming with confidence in the second. Gave the ball away more than once and never really looked in control.
Lewis Hall 8
Newcastle’s best player, in my humble opinion. Coped well with Bournemouth’s forays down his flank and played a beautiful pass for Barnes’ goal. Getting back to his best.
Nico Gonzàlez 6
Let’s be honest – we lost the midfield today. Alex Scott was all over our lads. Nico tried his best but came nowhere near the levels we saw last week at Spurs. Never really got going.
Lewis Miley 5
A poor game from Lewis today. Barely got on the ball, and when he did, didn’t get any time. Too many mistakes and not enough authority. Newcastle – by my count – have 14 midfield/attacking players for six positions. Lewis will have to do better if he wants to be a regular starter.
Anthony Elanga 6
After a scintillating start to the season, it was back down to earth for Elanga today. He got very little joy out of Bournemouth’s left back, and when he did get a crossing opportunity, there was no one up in support.
Joe Willock 6
I actually thought he was one of only a few bright sparks in the first half. He was energetic, positive, and tried to make things happen. But he ran out of gas and ideas and was subbed off.
Harvey Barnes 7
His overall performance was average, I’d say, but he scored a magnificent goal to give Newcastle hope, at a time when we had none. Other than that, plugged away, but couldn’t hurt our opponents.
Seemed to get increasingly frustrated as the game went on and ended up giving away some daft free kicks. Had a couple of decent runs but was a peripheral figure for the most part.
SUBS
Matias Fernandez-Pardo 6
The crowd welcomed him onto the pitch like a world beater and he did enough to suggest there is a player in there.
Looked swift and willing, although I’d have preferred that he went to the left wing than the 10 position. Got clattered as soon as he got the ball. Welcome to the Premier League, son.
Jacob Ramsey 7
I like Ramsey, he is underrated in my view. But he saved us a point today, with the same sort of finish that Harvey Barnes scored against West Brom. As the ball was pinging around the Bournemouth area, he just took matters into his own hands and swept in a fine equaliser.
Sean Steur 6
Looked comfortable in his 15-minute cameo and was certainly more relaxed than many. Some good passes, a couple of bad ones, but so far, he looks like a good signing.
Jacob Murphy 5
Did OK without setting the place alight. Got about as much joy as Elanga, whom he replaced. I imagine he’ll start at Millwall on Tuesday but will need to accept he’ll spend more time on the bench this season.
Tino Livramento N/A
Not on long enough to rate but good to see him back. We are light at the back.