Newcastle United produced a disappointing display as they fell to a 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.
Chris Sutton predicted that Oliver Glasner’s side would win the midweek Premier League tie, and he was spot on. Crystal Palace were deserving winners, dominating the majority of the 90 minutes at Selhurst Park.
Newcastle United were the fresher side after not playing for over a week, but it did not show. The Magpies were very poor, and did their European ambitions no favours.
Tactically, Eddie Howe got it wrong. He went with the same system that worked so well against Tottenham, but it was nowhere near as effective versus Palace.
Here are Geordie Boot Boys‘ Newcastle United player ratings following their 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace
Martin Dubravka 6/10
Made plenty of routine saves, but could do nothing to stop Jean-Philippe Mateta’s opener at Selhurst Park.
Emil Krafth 5/10
Retained his place in the starting XI despite Tino Livramento being fully fit, but failed to justify his selection. Emil Krafth was poor on the ball, conceding possession far too often.
Fabian Schar 6/10
Made a crucial block in the opening stages of the game, but got done by a routine one-two for the first goal.
Dan Burn 6/10
Dan Burn also got done by the one-two between Mateta and Jordan Ayew, with both Newcastle United centre-backs getting sucked in. Very poor defending.
Jacob Murphy 5/10
Jacob Murphy was asked to play at wing-back again, but failed to have the same impact. Like Krafth, he struggled on the ball. A lot of Newcastle’s spells of possession broke down when the Magpies shifted the play to the righthand side of the pitch.
Sean Longstaff 6/10
The 26-year-old’s biggest moment came in the final 15 minutes when he went down in the box after contact from Will Hughes, but it did not result in a penalty. Instead, Sean Longstaff got a booking due to his protestation.
Bruno Guimaraes 7/10
You can tell that Bruno Guimaraes is no longer playing in fear of being booked, as there was a bit more bite from the Brazilian. His passing was impressive against Crystal Palace, and the midfielder was probably Newcastle’s best player on what was a poor night.
Elliot Anderson 6/10
Not his best night in black and white, but he was given a tough job by Eddie Howe. First he had to play as left wing-back, then he was moved to the right when Jacob Murphy was substituted. Picked up a booking for a cynical foul on Michael Olise.
Anthony Gordon 6/10
Anthony Gordon has been the talk of the Toon after his interview with Gary Neville, but failed to deliver on Wednesday night. The 23-year-old was very quiet, just over a week after his blistering display against Spurs.
Harvey Barnes 6/10
Squandered his big moment in the first half, with a fluffed back heel failing to play Anthony Gordon in on goal. After that, Harvey Barnes struggled to get involved before being substituted in the 65th minute.
Alexander Isak 6/10
There were flashes of excellence and some good movement from Alexander Isak, but he was marshalled really well by the Crystal Palace defence. He did have one opening, but was smartly denied by Eagles stopper Dean Henderson.
Substitutes
Lewis Hall 6/10, Callum Wilson 6/10, Matt Ritchie N/A, Joe White N/A
The post Two 5s as Eddie Howe gets it wrong: Newcastle United player ratings vs Crystal Palace appeared first on Geordie Boot Boys.