Newcastle United suffered their sixth defeat of the season in all competition following a disappointing 2:1 defeat to Arsenal at home. The hosts did, however, start the game in a promising fashion, having dominated proceedings throughout the first quarter of the game.
But, a disappointing performance in the second half saw Arsenal cruise to a relatively easy victory in the end.
Here are the Newcastle players rated and slated in their defeat to Arsenal.
Martin Dubravka (6.5/10): It was one of those awful outings for Dubravka, who failed to make a single notable save. On top of that, he should have done a lot better to keep out Xhaka’s free-kick in the second half, which proved to be costly for his team in the end.
DeAndre Yedlin (7/10): Not a bad performance considering the fact that the US international was coming on a back of a strenuous international schedule. He notably won four aerial duels and was also crucial in keeping out the threat of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Jamaal Lascelles (7.5/10): Returning from an injury, the Newcastle captain was pretty solid at the back, often keeping out the likes of Lacazette and Ramsey. But, he was not risked after the break and he was replaced by Ciaran Clark at the start of the second half.
Federico Fernandez (6.5/10): Had an excellent first half as Newcastle were solid at the back. But, he lacked authority in the second half and gave away a few needless fouls.
Paul Dummett (6.5/10): Dummett was quite influential on the ball, having made 58 touches, more than anyone else in the team. But, he should have done a lot better in keeping out the threat of Mesut Ozil in the second half.
Matt Ritchie (6.5/10): Was hardly a threat for the Arsenal backline as the former Bournemouth star struggled to make inroads on the flank, largely due to the presence of the ever-reliable Monreal. Ritchie was dispossessed twice during the game.
Isaac Hayden (5/10): The absence of Jonjo Shelvey was a huge blow for Newcastle as his initial replacement in Isaac Hayden had absolutely no answer to Arsenal’s midfield. Looked jaded in the latter stages of the game.
Mohamed Diame (6/10): His marauding runs into the box caused Arsenal a lot of problems in the first half. But, his influence faded as the game progressed and as soon as Torreira was introduced, the Newcastle star lost control of his midfield authority.
Jacob Murphy (6.5): Made a few darting runs in behind the defence. His delivery, however, was poor.
Ayoze Perez (6/10): Failed to offer anything in the final third due to tight marking from the Arsenal defenders. The Spaniard also lacked composure and his decision making in the final third was questionable.
Joselu (6/10): Despite a promising start, Joselu just couldn’t provide the threat as the game progressed. Although the former Hannover striker had more touches than most of the Newcastle midfielders, he lacked the touch he needed to test Cech.
Substitutes
Ciaran Clark (7.5/10): Went forward whenever necessary and actually tried to help his team out, unlike most of his teammates. He also made full use of his opportunity when he got behind the Arsenal defence to fire home what turned out to be a mere consolation in the final few minutes of the game.
Kenedy (4/10): Struggled to keep up with the flow of the game.
Yoshinori Muto (NA): Replaced Matt Ritchie in the 79th minute but it was already too late for the Magpies to make any sort of a recovery.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored