Newcastle United claimed back-to-back wins for the first time this season with an impressive 3-1 victory over Everton at St. James’ Park.
Newcastle United earned a huge win in their battle to avoid relegation as they rallied from a goal down to emphatically beat Everton 3-1. The Magpies climbed out of the bottom three in the process, courtesy of a masterclass from Allan Saint-Maximin on Tuesday.
Newcastle got off to a flying start, buoyed by a packed house at St. James’ Park, but it was Everton who broke the deadlock against the run of play. The ball fell to Andre Gomes from a set-piece on the left side of the six-yard box and his shot was deflected into the net by the Newcastle skipper Jamaal Lascelles.
However, the Magpies instantly responded – and it was Lascelles who restored parity when his effort took a touch from Mason Holgate to beat Jordan Pickford. Newcastle soon took the lead in the second period when Saint-Maximin burst his way to the byline, and his chipped cross was bundled home by Ryan Fraser.
Newcastle have recorded back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since the final two games of the 2020/21 season.
They’re out of the relegation zone. ? pic.twitter.com/50n7bUcotB
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 8, 2022
With 10 minutes remaining on the clock, Trippier curled a right-footed free-kick inside the near post to put the icing on the cake and give the Toon some breathing space. The result not only lifts the Magpies out of the drop zone, but also drags Everton into a potential relegation scrap. The Hard Tackle takes a look at how both sets of players performed in this entertaining encounter at St. James’ Park.
Newcastle United
Martin Dubravka: 6/10
The Slovak goalkeeper had little to do in between the sticks the whole evening as Everton only posted 3 shots on target, and even those were straight at him for comfortable saves. His ball distribution was also really good, and he could not have done any better to stop Jamaal Lascelles’ own goal.
Kieran Trippier: 9/10
The 31-year-old England international is at the top of his game at the moment and looked a class above most on the pitch. He was very good going forward in attack, played some delicate passes, and carried the ball well. Most importantly, he was defensively sound, put his body on the line, won a host of tackles and led Newcastle’s defensive line by example.
Kieran Trippier’s game by numbers vs. Everton:
100% shooting accuracy
75 touches (most)
15 long balls
10 crosses (most)
5 tackles
4 chances created (most)
1 clearance
1 interception
1 foul won
1 goalWhat a performance. ? pic.twitter.com/AsRRzhfvGj
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 8, 2022
He then capped the night with a wonderful free kick to seal the three points for Newcastle.
Jamaal Lascelles: 7/10
The Newcastle skipper had a very eventful evening. Lascelles went from zero to hero within minutes to make amends for his own goal with a thunderous header that deflected off Holgate past Pickford. He made a series of strong interceptions and tackles and was aerially dominant, winning 9 headed duels. He also racked up a match-high 5 clearances and 5 interceptions.
Fabian Schar: 7/10
Schar had a very good game as he looked composed and was always in the right place at the right time to clear the lines or make a vital intervention. He displayed all the qualities of an intelligent ball-playing defender.
Matt Targett: 7/10
Targett had a rather comfortable debut as he never looked under much pressure. He was very composed in possession and combined with Schar to shore the left side of the defence. He did not offer much going forward and crossed only once, but with a maverick like Allan Saint-Maximin in front of him, the left-back was happy with a more defensive role.
Joe Willock: 6.5/10
Willock had his moments as he brought energy, steel and vigour to Newcastle’s midfield. Worked his socks off defensively and contributed with 5 tackles. He was always looking to burst forward and completed 5 dribbles on the day.
Jonjo Shelvey: 6/10
Shelvey put in a fine display in the middle of the park but could have seen a red in the first half for an absolutely reckless tackle on Anthony Gordon. Nonetheless, he kept his cool in the rest of the game and was precise with his passing, completing 5 of 6 attempted long balls.
Joelinton: 7/10
A real midfield workhorse, who put in a match-high seven tackles. His work rate was exemplary, and the amount of ground he covered was incredible. He still missed a couple of golden chances and had a strange moment when he struck a shot off his own head, but aside from that, he was magnificent.
Ryan Fraser: 7/10
Fraser had largely struggled to make an impact since swapping the south coast for the northeast, mostly down to injuries and poor form. But the Scotsman has shown signs of rediscovering his peak form under Howe and is gradually improving game after game.
Ryan Fraser has scored just his second ever goal for Newcastle.
⚽️ vs Blackburn
⚽️ vs EvertonIt’s his first goal in the Premier League for the Magpies. pic.twitter.com/ELfxH4KMl0
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 8, 2022
He was a constant menace to Everton and was generally very good down the right flank all evening. He also popped up in the right place to put the ball into the back of the net.
Chris Wood: 6/10
Wood lacks confidence in front of goal at the moment, and the ball never fell to him. But he put in a great shift and won everything in the air, winning a whopping 12 aerial duels.
Allan Saint-Maximin: 9/10
Saint-Maximin was on song and ran the show on the day. The Frenchman always looked dangerous when he was on the ball, running with pace and power at the defenders and trying to create something out of nothing. He ran rings around the Everton defence and set up the second goal. He took 2 shots on target, completed a massive 10 dribbles, 3 key passes and was fouled more times than any other player.
Substitutes
Jacob Murphy: NA/10
Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
Bruno Guimaraes: NA/10
A very short cameo for Newcastle’s high-profile winter signing, but he exhibited quality and created a chance for Saint-Maximin with a perfectly weighted pass.
Javier Manquillo: NA/10
Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
Everton
Jordan Pickford: 5/10
Pickford was the busier of the two goalkeepers and made a great stop to deny Joelinton from close range to keep the scores level at 0-0 in the first half. However, the Englishman lacked composure throughout the game and was clumsy with the ball at his feet and when crosses were made into the box.
Mason Holgate: 3/10
Hardly put a foot wrong in the first half. Played a key role in setting up Lascelles’ own goal, but was a tad unlucky to give the final touch for Newcastle’s equaliser. The second half exposed the left-sided centre-back as he made far too many errors. He also picked up a cynical yellow card after stepping on Ryan Fraser’s foot.
Michael Keane: 3/10
I’ll be honest I’m fuming again
Sickening performance that last night. Looking at the players we have available to us in defence fills me with dread as well. I know I go on about him a lot but Michael Keane is doing his best to make sure we’re not in this league next season
— Paul Brown (@PaulBrownEFC) February 9, 2022
Keane looked dreadful throughout the game, and Everton should seriously consider upgrading the centre-back department in the summer. The Englishman won plenty of headers in the first half to neutralise the threat posed by Chris Wood, but struggled a lot against an unplayable Saint-Maximin and never brought confidence to the backline.
Yerry Mina: 4/10
It was not ideal that Mina injured himself while failing to clear his lines. But even before that, the Colombian looked shaky and was dragged all over the place by Saint-Maximin and Wood. His passing was erratic, and he never looked at ease.
Seamus Coleman: 4/10
Coleman looked sharp at the start of the game and showed surprising pace at times down the right flank, including a great run and cross into the box, but then was nowhere to be seen in the second half and could only keep Saint-Maximin at bay for so long.
Allan: 4/10
Allan wasn’t the worst performer against Newcastle, but he offered little on the ball as he was clumsy in possession and could not keep hold of the ball in the midfield battle throughout the 90 minutes. The former Napoli midfielder was nowhere near his best in terms of closing down opponents and recovering the ball.
Andre Gomes: 4/10
Gomes was shambolic on the day, especially while trying to recover the ball back as he looked very much off the pace. He could not replicate his Brentford performance, and aside from a few nice passes, he was very sloppy, picking up silly fouls before being hooked off early in the second half for Donny van de Beek.
Andros Townsend: 4/10
Apart from a few decent crosses into the box, Townsend was anonymous on the pitch throughout the game. His touches were poor while his shots were also off target.
Anthony Gordon: 5/10
The 20-year-old was the only shining light in an otherwise dire performance from the Toffees. Bright and energetic, and good with his set-piece delivery, the youngster could have been even more effective with better support around him.
Richarlison: 5/10
Richarlison was lively with his smart positioning and clever passes, which troubled Newcastle’s defence, but the Brazil international needs to produce more. To be fair, he did not get any service whatsoever from Everton’s supporting cast.
Demarai Gray: 5/10
Gray was making runs in behind the defenders but had a few loose touches and passes and did not contribute much before being forced off in the 25th minute with an injury.
Substitutes
Dele Alli: 5/10
Deli Ali looked bright in some moments with clever touches, flicks and one-touch passing, but was unsuccessful in inspiring Everton and clearly needs adjusting time to get up to speed. He also lost possession in the lead up to Newcastle’s second goal.
Jarrad Branthwaite: 4.5/10
Branthwaite was agile and looked decent after replacing the injured Mina, but he seemed to struggle more as the game progressed.
Donny van de Beek: 5.5/10
Van de Beek had a strong debut after being introduced on the hour mark as he added some control and ball retention to the Toffees midfield, but could not make a big enough impact to alter the result.
