Newcastle United Player Ratings vs Brentford: 10/10 for brilliant Bruno; Rest get 7 or higher

Bruno Guimaraes was the star of the show with a brilliant brace as Newcastle United thrashed Brentford 5-1 at St. James’ Park.

Newcastle United celebrated their one-year takeover anniversary with a five-star performance as they put a whopping five goals past a sorry Brentford at St. James’ Park on Saturday afternoon to leapfrog into 5th in the fledgling Premier League table.

Eddie Howe did not tinker with a winning combination from the 4-1 thumping of Fulham and made no changes. The Magpies got off to a strong start, with Miguel Almiron testing Brentford goalkeeper David Raya from range, but it was the visitors who almost got ahead against the run of play when Bryan Mbeumo had his opener ruled out for offside from Ivan Toney in the lead-up.

It was a major let-off from the hosts, especially from midfielder Sean Longstaff who was at fault for the goal after being caught in possession. Newcastle tried a lot of creative set-piece routines, and one paid off when Kieran Trippier’s teasing cross found Bruno Guimaraes’s head in the 21st minute to open the scoring.

Raya then made a horrible blunder, leading Callum Wilson to cut off the Brentford goalkeeper’s throw and put it on a plate for Jacob Murphy, who tapped in from close range. Just after halftime, Ivan Toney converted a penalty kick following a Dan Burn handball to offer the visitors hope of a comeback.

YOU MAGS! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/vCIav2FH9H

— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) October 8, 2022

However, Guimaraes had other plans as he first won the ball back in the middle of the park, and ran the whole length of the pitch before launching a long-range effort, leaving Raya hapless in goal. Almiron then got Newcastle the fourth to put the hosts beyond reach from another Brentford mistake while passing out from the back before Ethan Pinnock put the ball into his own net from Joelinton’s cross to make the final score 5-1.

The emphatic victory means the Magpies have moved up to fifth in the Premier League table, closing in on the Champions League spots. The Hard Tackle will now run the rule over Eddie Howe’s men after what was a special performance in front of a rocking atmosphere at St James’ Park.

Nick Pope: 7/10

Pope could have done better in Brentford’s offside goal when he was beaten at his near post. To be fair to Pope, the shot was powerfully struck by Bryan Mbeumo with practically no time to react. Otherwise, it was a steady performance from the England international, who made a couple of smart saves during the afternoon and was quick off his line, almost operating in the sweeper-keeper role.

Kieran Trippier: 8.5/10

Trippier enjoyed a lot of joy on his side and made the most of the space, creating multiple chances on the after. He got the assist for Bruno Guimaraes’s headed goal with a delicious, perfectly-paced cross into the box and could have gotten another if Wilson had his scoring boots on. That wand of a right foot caused absolute mayhem in Brentford’s box with his accurate crosses.

Fabian Schar: 7/10

While Ivan Toney tried his best to make it as physical as he could, Schar handled it with ease and was very savvy with his positioning while taking the initiatives to foray forward and provide the ball to strikers. He showed some excellent front-foot defending.

Sven Botman: 7/10

Botman coasted through the encounter without any major problems for the second game on the bounce. He oozed composure throughout, produced excellent line-breaking passes, and put in a dominant display. Calm on the ball, he was unfazed by Brentford’s trying to isolate him in one-on-one situations. Comfortable.

Dan Burn: 7/10

While Burn has generally performed admirably at left-back, this display blemished the copybook slightly as he looked like a central defender playing left-back this time around. He did foray forward at times but to little fruition. He struggled on the turn, while Brentford enjoyed a few good moments on his side. Punished for handball, which saw Brentford pull a goal back from the penalty spot. Always a presence aerially, though.

Sean Longstaff: 7/10

Longstaff recovered from a shaky start wherein he gave away the ball cheaply in the build-up to Brentford’s disallowed opener. He kept his composure and progressed as the game went on. Cut things out very well while keeping the ball moving in midfield.

Bruno Guimaraes: 10/10

Bruno Guimarães' game by numbers vs. Brentford:

78 minutes
100% take-on success
100% shot accuracy
7 duels won
7 passes into final ⅓
6 x possession won
5 passes into opp. box
4 tackles made
2 chances created
2 shots
2 goals

👉 BG39 👈 pic.twitter.com/Zy1nYAmmXA

— Squawka (@Squawka) October 8, 2022

To say Newcastle pulled off a major coup by signing Bruno Guimaraes under the noses of European powerhouses is an understatement. His versatility, ability to advance the ball, manoeuvre his way out of tight spaces, and vision to be able to make defence-splitting passes or delicate chips over the top, make him such a deadly weapon for Howe to not only overwhelm oppositions but outclass them in the middle of the park.

The Brazilian’s swagger on the ball, superb fan connection, legendary flicks, and unrivalled nutmegs have already made him an icon on Tyneside. And we have not yet talked about his goals. A terrific header before taking the game by the scruff of the neck at a delicate moment by unleashing a long-range strike to beat Raya to make it 3-1.

Joe Willock: 7.5/10

This match was ideal for the energetic Willock, as he had loads of space to run into the midfield, which he pounced on multiple times but was wasteful in possession at times. He also made several promising runs into the box and fired a couple of shots. But unfortunately, his goal-bound efforts were blocked every time.

Miguel Almiron: 8/10

premier league goals this season:
Miguel Almiron: 4
Jack Grealish: 1 pic.twitter.com/9HMvlfoRHm

— ⚡ (@UTDCJ_) October 8, 2022

After Joelinton, it is safe to say Miguel Almiron is the newest story of Howe’s brilliant coaching at Newcastle United. A man-of-the-match performance against Fulham was backed up by another lively shift here against Brentford. With his creative runs, he posed a threat in behind, while also stinging Raya’s gloves a couple of times when cutting inside to unleash powerful shots from that vicious left foot of his.

He was rewarded for his efforts to provide constant pressure from the front with a simple goal, his fourth of the season. After scoring just one goal all season last term, all of a sudden, the Paraguayan now just cannot stop scoring.

Jacob Murphy: 8/10

It was an afternoon to remember for Murphy, as he bagged his first goal for Newcastle in over 14 months. He truly had not scored in ages prior to this game. He put in a lively display here as his pace caused Brentford all sorts of problems down the right and he tapped in from Wilson’s cross.

Callum Wilson: 7/10

Wilson made a poor start to the game with some shoddy link-up play and poor decision-making. He once fired a shot against Brentford defenders when he had not one but three teammates calling in open space.

Of those three players, one was Jacob Murphy, and Wilson made amends as he unselfishly put the ball to Murphy to double Newcastle’s lead in the first half. He should have scored on the volley from an inventive set piece from Trippier in the second half.

SUBSTITUTES

Joelinton: 8/10

Joelinton ran at the Brentford backline with purpose and showed good intensity, lovely flicks, and combination throughout. He had a cross-cum-shot turned in by Pinnock late in the game.

Allan Saint-Maximin: 7/10

Returning from injury, Saint-Maximin entertained the crowd with his blistering runs, tearing apart Brentford’s midfield and bursting past players as if he were a ghost.

Chris Wood: N/A

Did not play enough to warrant a rating.

Matt Targett: N/A

Did not play enough to warrant a rating.

Elliot Anderson: N/A

Did not play enough to warrant a rating.