We asked Davey Hat-Trick to give us his match ratings and player comments after Leeds 4 Newcastle 1 in the Premier League.
A sobering night at Elland Road. Leeds blew Newcastle away and burst our bubble of early-season optimism. We were outfought, outthought and outplayed, especially in the first half, which was as bad as anything I’ve seen from Newcastle.
We were better in the second half, but Leeds were out of sight by then, and didn’t need to play with the same intensity they showed in the first. If I was in the straw-clutching business, I’d say there were a few encouraging performances from our second half subs, and at least we scored a goal, but overall, we were dire.
I know the purpose of this article is to rate the players but I think the manager needs to take some responsibility for this defeat.
Yes, our defence was weak. Yes, our attack was toothless. But worse than that, we were completely overrun in the middle of the pitch. Much as I like Matthias Jaissle, I’m not sure he grasped that a two-man midfield was never going to be enough away at a passionate Elland Road on a Monday night. And when Nico went off with a concussion injury, I don’t think putting an 18-year-old alongside a 20-year-old – despite their undoubted talents – was the wisest move. Hindsight is a marvellous thing, but he might be wishing he’d gone with a three-man midfield including Willock for this one.
Saturday’s game at home to Hull is now crucial. We have to hope that the confidence hasn’t completely drained out of this young Newcastle United squad. We know they can do a lot better than this. I hope they do too.
Lukáš Horníček 6
Not sure I’d blame him for any of the goals and he did make a couple of good saves. Things could have been a lot worse if it wasn’t for him
His worst game for us and he wasn’t alone in that. Just never got into the game.
Offered nothing in attack and under pressure in defence
Malick Thiaw 4
Fragile, nervous, lacking confidence. We needed more from our captain and he didn’t have it.
Sven Botman 3
Didn’t look set from the get-go.
Bullied by Dominic Calvert-Lewin and badly positioned more than once. Very poor.
Lewis Hall 6
Better than most but that’s a low bar.
At least he kept going and played at something like the levels we are used to.
Nico Gonzàlez 5
Took a ball to the face after 10 minutes and never recovered. Subbed off after 20.
Lewis Miley 4
Overrun, virtually no impact,and barely made a telling contribution. He wasn’t alone.
As I said in my intro, a two-man midfield wouldn’t be my choice away at Leeds, so his manager needs to take some of the blame for Lewis’ poor showing.
Jacob Murphy 4
Didn’t take advantage of Elanga’s absence.
I think it took him until the second half to put a half-decent ball into the box.
Yoane Wissa 5
Gave it a go and had a couple of promising moments in the first half.
In a team that I thought was meant to be a pressing side, he seemed to be the only player who knew how to do it.
Faded as the game slipped away from Newcastle and became a bit petulant.
Harvey Barnes 5
Switched to the right in the second half, and looked a bit better there than he had on the left. Ironically, his average display made him one of our better performers
Matias Fernandez-Pardo 4
I’m sure he’ll come good but he made no impression at all tonight.
A bit of pace but no quality and no presence.
Maybe this wasn’t the best game in which to make his full debut.
Sean Steur 4
A dreadful pass led to Leeds’ second and he looked spooked for a long time after that.
To his credit, he grew into the game in the second half, but he will have learnt some harsh lessons here.
Tino Livramento 5
Looked like an upgrade on Dedić when he came on but by then Leeds were on cruise control. Still, good to have him back.
I actually thought he did well when he came on and he looks like a player with a positive attitude whatever the circumstances.
Scored a goal and was one of the few players that came away from this game with some credit.
Joe Willock 5
Unlucky not to start in my humble opinion and looked more accomplished than many when he did join the fray.
Hindsight suggests we could have done with his experience from the start.
Aladji Bamba 4
Not really given long enough to make an impression but saw a bit of the ball.
A couple of loose touches, a couple of good ones.