Newcastle United started their campaign in a disappointing fashion as they slumped to a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
After going down early through a goal from Jan Vertonghen, the Magpies replied quickly, thanks to a brilliant headed goal by Joselu. But, the Tyneside outfit failed to take advantage of their momentum as Dele Alli restored Tottenham’s lead through another headed goal just before 20th-minute mark.
The loss left a sour taste in the mouth as the Magpies played really well but just couldn’t take their chances. They also hit the bar twice and made quite a few clear-cut goal-scoring chances.
Here are the Newcastle players rated and slated in their loss over the Lilywhites.
Martin Dubravka (7.5/10): He could have done nothing about the two goals conceded. But, aside from that, the custodian enjoyed a rather decent outing and looked solid whenever called upon. His three saves kept his team in the mix until the final whistle.
DeAndre Yedlin (7/10): A rather timid performance from the American international, who looked wobbly at times during the defensive phases. However, he was a good outlet going forward. Picked up a worrying injury late in the game.
Jamaal Lascelles (7/10): Marshalled the defence quite well even when Spurs came at them with full force. He made three tackles and four interceptions, most by any Newcastle player on the day.
Ciaran Clark (6.5/10): An average performance from the former Aston Villa defender, who, despite winning some important aerials duels, appeared tentative against a dangerous Spurs attack.
Paul Dummett (7/10): Following a disappointing start to the game, Dummett grew into the game. He was solid in defence and showed tremendous work-ethic to keep fighting for his team till the last whistle.
Matt Ritchie (7.5/10): The main source of creativity for Newcastle United, Ritchie provided good attacking impetus with some decent balls into the channel. He also made a couple of good runs into the box but failed to keep up his momentum as he was subbed off midway through the second half.
Mohamed Diame (6/10): A tough outing for the Senegalese midfielder who was guilty of often giving away possession too often. He also appeared tentative while dealing with the likes of Mousa Dembele and Dele Alli.
Jonjo Shelvey (8/10): Arguably the best player for Newcastle, Shelvey once again showed what he’s capable of in the English top flight. Shelvey mustered 60 passes, won 2 aerial duels, 2 dribbles and 1 interception and was the only outfield player alongside Yedlin not to give away possession.
Kenedy (7.5/10): Although he was guilty of missing arguably the best chance of the game for Newcastle, Kenedy was actually one of their better performers. The Brazilian completed the most number of dribbles for his side.
Ayoze Perez (7/10): Was always a threat going forward, thanks to his creativity and positional awareness. He even came close to equalising in the second half when his shot was brilliantly saved by Hugo Lloris. But, he struggled with consistency and was later subbed off.
Joselu (7/10): Despite a good start, he was pretty ineffective. He was rightfully subbed off just before the hour mark as Salomon Rondon made his first competitive appearance for the Magpies.
Substitutes
Salomon Rondon (7.5/10): The Venezuelan international made quite an impact after coming on around the hour mark. He used his physicality to shrug off opposing defenders and was unfortunate to clip the bar later in the second half. But, his solid debut will definitely help his cause in becoming the first-choice striker for Newcastle this season.
Christian Atsu (6.5/10): Replaced Matt Ritchie during the final phase of the game but failed to provide a spark in the attack aside from a few dangerous crosses.
Yoshinori Muto (NA): Tried his best to impress his boss but he was always isolated on the far-side, often devoid of options. That being said, it will be interesting to see how the former Mainz striker manages to cope with the pressure of playing in the Premier League this season.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored