English Premier League Player Ratings: Newcastle United v Liverpool – Part 1
Liverpool traveled to Newcastle on Saturday seeking only their 2nd away win of the season. Having lost five times on the road already, avoiding defeat was also paramount for Roy Hodgson’s men.
Newcastle, on the other hand, have had a hugely demoralizing week, with their manager Chris Houghton sacked and replaced by, not so popular, Alan Pardew. Newcastle welcomed back their star midfielder, Joey Barton, from suspension and it was he who inspired
them to a 3-1 win over Liverpool.
Here are the player ratings for this match, compiled by Bettor.com
NEWCASTLE UNITED
Tim Krul: 6.0
The young goalkeeper could have done a little better with the goal he conceded, however, apart from that he could hardly have done anything wrong. Was not put under enough pressure and he made one brilliant save from close range from a Fernando Torres shot.
Danny Simpson: 6.0
It was a reasonably comfortable evening for the right back. He looked a bit shaky at the start especially with his distribution but settled into the game as it went on. Did not give Maxi any room to play and drift into dangerous positions.
Steven Taylor: 6.0
The all action centre half was full of running and kept the Liverpool forwards in check for large parts of the game. His caused was helped by an out of sorts and tired looking Fernando Torres.
Sol Campbell: 5.5
The big centre half looked in total control of the game and won his majority share of the headers. However, it was his mistake that allowed Liverpool back in to the game. Looked shaky after that and he might be on the bench once Coloccini returns.
Jose Enrique: 6.0
The Spaniard hardly put a foot wrong and handled everything that was thrown at him. He wasn’t too expansive going forward but had a job to do, which he did quite ably.
Joey Barton: 8.0
His suspension might be the reason behind Chris Houghton’s departure, as the Former Manchester City man showed what Newcastle have been missing in their last few games. He marked his return with a vital second goal. Extremely comfortable on the ball, Barton
ran the show from midfield and he was simply a cut above the rest of the players on the pitch.
Kevin Nolan: 6.5
Scored a trademark goal when he responded to the Andy Carroll knockdown. He was full of running throughout 90 minutes and kept things simple. Another assured performance by former Bolton skipper.
Cheikh Tiote: 7.0
He certainly has been one of the buys of the season, Tiote was at the heels of Liverpool midfielders and his reading of the game was impeccable. Won most of the second balls and was neat and tidy in possession. He hardly gave the ball away.
Jonas Gutierrez: 6.0
The Argentine worked hard as usual but failed to get past Johnson, however he didn’t lose the ball as much and let the more in form players do the damage.
Shola Ameobi: 6.5
He was a real handful for the two Liverpool centre backs. He combined superbly at times with Carroll and won majority of his headers. It was a shame that he had to leave the pitch early with yet another injury.
Andy Carroll: 7.5
If Roy Hodgson wants to buy a big striker then he should look no further than this man, Andy Carroll was yet again fantastic all game. To win most of the headers against a guy like Kyrgiakos is no mean feat. Carroll was a pain for Liverpool’s defence all
evening. His knock down for Nolan set Newcastle on their way and then he ensured all three points, late in the game, with a cracking drive to the bottom right corner of the goal.
SUBSTITUTES:
Neil Ranger: 6.5
He came on for the injured Ameobi and gave Skrtel a torrid time with his pace and strength. He played his part in Newcastle’s second goal.
Alan Smith: N/A
He came on late for Kevin Nolan but didn’t get to see much of the ball.
Wayne Routledge: N/A
He was introduced in stoppage time in place of the man of the match, Joey Barton.
Continued in Part 2
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