How did the players fare in Newcastle's 1-1 draw with Aston Villa?
NEWCASTLE (4-4-1-1):
5 Dubravka: Had a quiet evening for the most part, but will feel he should have done much better with Elmohamady’s equaliser
6 Manquillo: Was fairly solid in a defensive capacity, but wasn’t able to offer much from a wide position in an attacking sense
7 Lascelles: Kept Samatta quiet all evening and continues to lead his side with calm assurance from the heart of the back four
6 Fernandez: Had a couple of slightly shaky moments early on, but helped shut Villa out before Elmohamady’s late strike
6 Rose: Didn’t do much wrong in a defensive sense, although the attacking part of his game still isn’t at its sharpest
8 SAINT-MAXIMIN: The Frenchman was always the Newcastle player who looked likeliest to make an attacking impact
6 Hayden: Spent most of the night concentrating on his defensive duties against the dangerous Grealish and McGinn
6 Shelvey: Tried to spray his trademark passes around the field, but spent most of the night in a deep-lying position
6 Ritchie: Switched flanks on a number of occasions to try to make an impact, but was forced off with a niggle in the second half
5 Almiron: It wasn’t really the Paraguayan’s night as he struggled to find space in the final third
5 Joelinton: Wasn’t able to build on Sunday’s goal, with his only effort blocked by a sliding challenge from Mings
Subs:
7 Carroll (for Joelinton, 63): Made a real impact after coming off the bench in the second half, and laid on Gayle’s goal with a neat pass
7 Gayle (for Ritchie, 67): Ended two years of an injury hell with a neat finish that highlighted his enduring goalscoring qualities
Bentaleb (for Hayden, 86)
Lazaro (for Almiron, 86)
(not used): Darlow (gk), Schar, Krafth, Yedlin, Muto.
ASTON VILLA (4-1-4-1):
Nyland 6; Konsa 5 (Elmohamady 77), Hause 6, Mings 7, Targett 7; Luiz 6; El Ghazi 6 (Hourihane 69, 6), McGinn 5 (Nakamba 77), GREALISH 7, Trezeguet 6; Samatta 4.
Subs (not used): Reina (gk), Taylor, Baston, Jota, Vassilev, Davis.
Man Of The Match: ALLAN SAINT-MAXIMIN – Even in an empty stadium, there is a frisson of excitement every time the Frenchman gets on the ball.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here