Anthony Elanga terrifying, 2/10 dreadful – Newcastle player ratings vs Barcelona
Eddie Howe’s side were condemned to defeat as Marcus Rashford starred on a sinking night for Newcastle United.
Rashford joined Barcelona on loan during the summer, and plenty has been made of his start to life in Spain, but nobody was taking away from his performance at St James’ Park on Thursday, 18 September.
Harvey Barnes and Joelinton had opportunities to take the lead against the La Liga giants, but as it turned out, the Magpies came back to rue their missed chances in the Champions League.
Nick Woltemade joined Newcastle during the summer, but he was not the one to make a difference, as Anthony Gordon scored in added time to add some hope. It was not enough in a 2-1 loss, though.
Marcus Rashford stars as Newcastle United are defeated by Barcelona
Nick Pope – 3
Very little the goalkeeper could do against Rashford. Two goals conceded, only one save made. An awful night for the shot-stopper at St James’ Park.
Kieran Trippier (Off for Botman 76′) – 5
A mixed night for the right-back. Often struggled with Rashford’s pace, but towards the end of the game, he did well to keep up with the Man United loanee.
Fabian Schar (Off for Thiaw 63′) – 4
Struggled somewhat to deal with Barcelona’s attack. Made a superb block in the second half, but it was costly as the incident forced him off with an injury.
Dan Burn – 5
Took an early yellow card for quite a cynical challenge. Other than that, he was quite dominant in the air, but he could do very little to keep the clean sheet.
Tino Livramento – 6
Rarely puts a foot wrong when he’s in Newcastle colours. He kept Raphinha quiet, and not many players can say that.
Anthony Elanga is Newcastle’s brightest spark in the Champions League
Sandro Tonali – 7
Had a fabulous start to the game, charging up the pitch with possession, and even creating a couple of chances in the final third.
Bruno Guimaraes – 6
Started very quietly but eventually grew into the game. Probably should have done better with his second-half strike.
Joelinton (Off for Willock 63′) – 6
Loved crashing into challenges, which is exactly why he picked up a yellow card. Eddie Howe likely saw this and decided having him play on wasn’t worth the risk.
Anthony Elanga (Off for Murphy 63′) – 9 – Man of the Match
His pace was absolutely terrifying, continuously finding himself behind Barcelona’s defence, and he kept putting the ball on a plate for his teammates.
Harvey Barnes (Off for Woltemade 63′) – 2
Found himself in decent areas, but his lack of clinical finishing looks to have cost Newcastle the game.
Eddie Howe’s substitutes are completely ineffective
Anthony Gordon – 6
Some believed that Gordon could be the answer to Alexander Isak, with his ability to play through the middle, but he had very little impact until scoring very late on.
Subsitutes
Nick Woltemade (On for Barnes 63′) – 6
Made a positive impact after coming on, creating a chance or two.
Joe Willock (On for Joelinton 63′) – 5
Struggled somewhat to keep up with the pace of the game. Threw everything into his performance, though.
Jacob Murphy (On for Elanga 63′) – 4
Not even his pace helped the Magpies to trouble Barcelona.
Malick Thiaw (On for Schar 63′) – 6
Replacing Schar is not an easy task for many defenders, but he slotted straight into the defensive lineup at St James’ Park.
Sven Botman (On for Trippier 76′) – 5
Barely involved. Did what needed to be done when the ball came down his side.