NUFC player ratings vs Tottenham - Two 7's, one 6, several 4's & 5's + an abysmal 2

It was a great atmosphere to launch the new era at St James’ Park, but the performance was more of the same.

Steve Bruce shouldn’t have been allowed to be in the dugout for the first match under the new ownership. The reasons for sacking him were evident on Sunday and surely it will be a matter of time before he does leave the club.

Below we rate the performance of each Newcastle player:

Karl Darlow - 4 - It was a disappointing day for Darlow and served as a reminder of what we are missing without Martin Dubravka. He could do little for the first or third goals, but he should have done better with Harry Kane’s goal. Darlow committed himself too early and have the England captain an easy task of finding the back of the net.

Javier Manquillo - 4 - The assist for Callum Wilson’s goal was good, but defensively, he was suspect. He could have done more on each goal. We desperately need a better option at right back.

Jamaal Lascelles - 5 - It was good to see him back and he will improve. There were some good contributions at the back, but he should have been more active on the first goal. There was a chance to close down quicker and he didn’t take it.

Ciaran Clark - 4 - It seems harsh to continue to criticise Clark as he is out of his depth at Premier League level. He was bullied by Harry Kane in this one.

Matt Ritchie - 5 - This is another position that needs strengthening, as Ritchie isn’t a left back. Defensively, he was good for him. In attack, he was wasteful when he did get into crossing positions.

Isaac Hayden - 4 - The midfield had no defensive structure and it was easy for Tottenham to play through the lines. Hayden was the holding midfielder and he didn’t perform well. The blame is with the coaching team, but Hayden didn’t come out with much credit.

Sean Longstaff - 5 - There has been improvement in his performances this season, but he is another that looked completely off the pace in midfield. An early booking made him very ineffective as the game wore on.

Joe Willock - 6 - It has been a difficult task for Willock this season, as he struggles with various injuries. He got better in the second half with some driving runs.

Joelinton - 5 - The Brazilian had a lot of involvements as the game plan was clearly to hit him early. He competed well in the air, but didn’t do much when he got the ball down. Too often, his second touch was a tackle.

Allan Saint-Maximin - 7 - There were some exciting moments, as there always are with the Frenchman. His decision making wasn’t always great, but he was one of the better performers.

Callum Wilson - 7 - It was great to see him back and his movement was excellent. He will score goals if we give him service. Our defence needs to improve so his efforts aren’t in vain.

SUBS:

Jonjo Shelvey - 2 - A disaster. He didn’t get involved in the game and picked up two silly yellow cards.

Ryan Fraser - N/A 

Jacob Murphy - N/A

Our thoughts go out to the supporter that suffered a medical emergency in the first half. The Tottenham players deserve credit for drawing attention to it.