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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