(Credit: Imago)

Evan Shaw

Wed 18 March 2026 19:43, UK

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Newcastle United saw their Champions League campaign draw to a close as they were hammered 7-2 away at Barcelona on Wednesday night.

The Magpies ultimately went down 8-3 on aggregate against the Spanish giants, despite a wide open, end-to-end encounter in the second leg at the Camp Nou.

Anthony Elanga netted two first-half equalisers for the Magpies, but goals from Marc Bernal, Lamine Yamal, Fer Lopez and doubles from Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha took the tie out of reach.

It was a night that promised plenty of promise for the North East outfit in the early stages, but they couldn’t make the most of their first-half display.

Newcastle’s latest defeat will leave a bitter taste in the mouth for Eddie Howe and Co., as they simply couldn’t remain tight enough at the back, despite exploiting their hosts’ frailties.

Harvey Barnes simply unplayable vs Barcelona

Harvey Barnes has faced questions regarding his consistency at Newcastle in recent weeks, and the winger has undoubtedly saved his best form for his team’s Champions League campaign this term.

The former Leicester City man had already notched nine goal involvements in Europe this season, and he added to that total with another assist on Elanga’s second goal on Wednesday night.

The winger was a thorn in Barcelona’s side from start to finish at the Camp Nou, and his endeavour on the left flank could have created much more for Newcastle, had players been able to get on the end of more of his balls across goal.

Barnes terrorised Eric Garcia in the early stages, and it quickly became clear that if the Magpies were to create throughout the game, it would likely come through him.

The 28-year-old has faced his fair share of criticism at times so far this season, but he reminded everybody of what he is capable of in midweek with an exceptional display, even if it ultimately proved too little to keep his team in the competition.

Barnes was excellent from start to finish against Barcelona, and was the highest ranking Magpies man, with a match rating of 7/10.

Kieran Trippier exposed throughout

Kieran Trippier has been a reliable figure for Newcastle in recent weeks, but he was exposed in disappointing fashion on Wednesday night.

The veteran is out of contract at the end of the season, and the Magpies’ hierarchy may think twice about any intentions of a renewal after the performance that he turned in against Barcelona.

The former Atletico Madrid man had a difficult night up against Raphinha on the Geordies’ right flank, and he was fortunate to stay on the pitch after he pulled back the Brazilian just outside the six-yard box on the stroke of half-time.

Trippier escaped with a yellow as he watched Yamal convert the resulting penalty, and he was hooked by Howe just moments later at the half-time interval.

The right-back has been a fantastic servant for Newcastle since his arrival in January 2022, but this was a clear indication that he can no longer compete at the top level, and his performance was worthy of little more than a 3/10 rating as a result.

Newcastle player ratings vs Barcelona

Aaron Ramsdale – 4

Kieran Trippier – 3

Malick Thiaw – 5

Dan Burn – 5

Lewis Hall – 4

Jacob Ramsey – 4

Sandro Tonali – 5

Joelinton – 5

Anthony Elanga – 6

Anthony Gordon – 4

Harvey Barnes – 7

Subtitutes

Tino Livramento – 5

Joe Willock – 4

Sven Botman – 5

Jacob Murphy – 5

William Osula – N/A