Newcastle player ratings v Cardiff: Weak link 5/10

By Dominic Toner

Football Insider rates the Newcastle players after their 2-0 victory away to Cardiff in the Championship.

Rob Elliot 6 - He was quiet during the game and wasn’t really tested by the Cardiff attack, who had the chances and were just unable to get their shots on target.

DeAndre Yedlin 6 - Supported the attack well and saw a first-half attempt saved well by the Cardiff goalkeeper.

Chancel Mbemba 6 - He came into the starting line-up among five changes and looked settled alongside Clark, good player to have in your squad.

Ciaran Clark 7 - The centre-back has been solid all season and delivered another assured performance.

Paul Dummett 6 - Assured performance at left-back and his form rarely dips.

Ayoze Perez 7 - Looked lively during the game and was tenacious out of possession. Should have been awarded a penalty when his shirt was handled in the 18-yard box.

Isaac Hayden 8 - He looked solid in the centre of the park and made a brilliant last ditch tackle in his penalty area to save his side. Then double Newcastle’s lead with a brilliant long-range effort to score a rare goal.

Jack Colback 6 - Given a slightly more advanced role and saw plenty of possession, just lacking the bit of quality that teammate Jonjo Shelvey has.

Christian Atsu 7 - He opened the scoring with a fantastic goal. The midfielder produced a brilliant piece of magic as his chipped free-kick flew into the top corner.

Mo Diame 6 - Lots of energy in the middle of the park, but missing an extra bit of quality.

Daryl Murphy 5 - The forward battled hard but looked like a striker that is ready for the end of the season. He could find it very difficult to get the game time in the Premier League and continue to play a support role to Dwight Gayle.

Aleksandar Mitrovic (for Murphy 66mins) 6

Jonjo Shelvey (for Colback 73mins) 6

Jamie Sterry (for Perez 90mins) 6

In other Newcastle news, Alan Shearer has named the senior man they should keep for the Premier League.

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