Newcastle 4-1 PSG: Player ratings as Magpies almost perfect in dismantling French champions
Newcastle United blew away French champions Paris Saint-Germain with a 4-1 win in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Goals from Miguel Almiron and Dan Burn gave Newcastle a dream 2-0 lead at half time, and Sean Longstaff sent the home crowd into further raptures shortly after the break.
Lucas Hernandez managed to pull a goal back for PSG but it proved only a consolation, especially as Fabian Schar made it four in injury time.
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The win sees Newcastle sail to the top of the group, with a double-header against Borussia Dortmund up next.
Here’s how the players rated at St James’ Park:
Newcastle
Nick Pope – 7 – Didn’t have anything to do in the first half, except for one punch away from a free-kick. Couldn’t really do anything about Hernandez’s goal, having to wait before committing to make any save. Did make a good save on Dembele.
Kieran Trippier – 8 – Some will have been worried about Trippier going up against Mbappe, but the Englishman had little work to do defensively. Caused a lot of problems on set pieces, and set up Longstaff with a beautiful ball inside the defender.
Jamaal Lascelles – 9 – Was comfortable in the first half and stepped up when Newcastle needed him in the second half. Did wonderfully to put Dembele off as he was shaping up to shoot. He was practically perfect.
Fabian Schar – 9 – Defended well to deny Ramos on the rare occasion PSG threatened. Rock solid at the back and went so close to making it 2-0 with a smart shot from a corner. He eventually capped off the scoring with a rocket, a fine end to a fine performance.
Newcastle United have won a #UCL game for the first time since 26th February 2003, when an Alan Shearer hat-trick saw them beat Leverkusen 3-1 at St James' Park.
7525 days apart. pic.twitter.com/EsOiaAnVKK
— Squawka (@Squawka) October 4, 2023
Dan Burn – 8 – Didn’t struggle against Dembele as much as people thought he would. Made it 2-0 with a towering header at the back post just before half time, after a long VAR review. Just as reliable in the second half, helping to keep PSG’s attack very quiet.
Sean Longstaff – 9 – Looked on top form in midfield, running the show, and scored the third with a good run through the middle, using power to beat Donnarumma.
Bruno Guimaraes – 8 – Read Marquinhos’ attempted pass in the build-up for the opening goal and helped control the midfield. There will have been some worries after his silly yellow card, but Bruno didn’t let that affect his game.
Sandro Tonali – 8 – Completed an excellent midfield trio that ran the show for the Magpies. As Eddie Howe said before the game, he’s suited for nights like this.
Miguel Almiron – 8 – The pressing man of the attacking trio, Almiron proved he was more than just a runner with a fine finish to put Newcastle 1-0 up after reacting quickest to Donnarumma’s parry. Picked up a knock in the first half that affected him a little, eventually forcing him off. But it was a great night.
Alexander Isak – 7 – Produced a good first-time shot to force the Donnarumma save which led to the opening goal. Got a knock on the head in the first half and wasn’t as big a goal threat as he may have liked. However, it was all part of the system.
Anthony Gordon – 8 – He wasn’t as involved in the attack as some may have liked, but his work was more of a defensive forward. Gordon constantly hassled the PSG backline to make sure they couldn’t settle.
Substitutes:
Elliott Anderson (for Tonali 65) – 7 – Did not come on to try and hold onto a lead, running at the PSG defence. A nuisance with fresh legs.
Jacob Murphy (for Almiron 71) – 7 – Didn’t have as much energy as the man he replaced but did exactly what was needed and set up Schar for the fourth.
Matt Targett (for Gordon 90) – N/A – A late sub.
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PSG
Gianluigi Donnarumma – 5 – Made a good save on Isak’s shot but could only push it out to Almiron. Got his hand onto Burn’s effort, too, though he was just a tad too late to claw it from behind the line. Had to do better for the third, however, letting Longstaff’s effort go through him.
Achraf Hakimi – 4 – Struggled defensively and looked uncomfortable, particularly after being shown a yellow card. Wasn’t given a moment’s rest by Gordon.
Marquinhos – 3 – It was his bad pass that lead to Almiron’s goal, kicking it straight to Bruno. Maruqinhos let that impact the way he played, losing his head. PSG needed a leader at the back and he wasn’t that.
Milan Skriniar – 4 – Weak in the air against Burn for the second goal, playing as if he didn’t know the man mountain was behind him. He was better than the man alongside him, but it wasn’t hard to be.
Lucas Hernandez – 4 – Booked for a foul on Almiron, struggling to deal with him in the first half. Did have PSG’s first shot on target pulling a goal back, with a good run ghosting into the box. But he struggled where it mattered.
Ousmane Dembele – 4 – Fired wide early on with a wicked volley. Always looking to run at Burn but really couldn’t do anything. Sent a shot wide in the second half having been played through, and then tested Pope, but he got into the game far too late.
Manuel Ugarte – 3 – Wasn’t anywhere near strong enough in midfield as PSG were overrun.
Warren Zaire-Emery – 7 – The only PSG outfield player that could hold their head high in the first half, Zaire-Emery looked to cause problems running through the midfield of the pitch. He did fail to track Longstaff’s run for the third but set up PSG’s goal with a lovely pass.
Warren Zaïre-Emery has assisted his first ever #UCL goal. ✨ pic.twitter.com/66oujGSr0x
— Play Squawka Selector for Free (@Squawka_Live) October 4, 2023
Randall Kolo Muani – 3 – PSG thought they were lining up with four attackers, but Kolo Muani was part of a quartet that failed to make any impact. He was the first to come off with just 24 touches and nine passes completed. Zero shots.
Goncalo Ramos – 3 – Had a couple of shots but nothing to truly test Pope and the Newcastle defence, with an xG of just 0.11.
Kylian Mbappe – 3 – Hugged the line in the first half, looking to capitalise on any space left by Trippier, but he had no luck. Moved more central in the second half but still couldn’t have any impact. A really poor showing.
Substitutes:
Bradley Barcola (for Kolo Muani 57) – 5 – Looked lively but the game was done by the time he came on.
Vitinha (for Ugarte 64) – 5 – Made PSG’s midfield a little stronger.
