NUFC player ratings vs Crystal Palace - One 8.5, three 8's, a few 7's and the odd 6

by Ollie Wilson · 21 April 2022, 07:29

Six home wins in a row for the first time since Sir Bobby was in charge! The first without Shearer since 1934!

What an unbelievable turnaround this season has been, with the Magpies now sitting 11th and closer to the European places than the relegation zone as of Thursday morning!

Another fantastic result to make it nine wins in 13 Premier League games. Here come the ratings from a brilliant night on Tyneside:

Martin Dubravka - 6 - Hard to give more than a six when he had so little to do! Only had two saves to make and both were straight at him. Looks confident and assured, but says a lot about our defence that he's barely being tested.

Emil Krafth - 8 - Another top performance from the Swede. Barely gave Zaha a sniff down Palace's left, often getting the better of the tricky Ivorian who just couldn't shake him off all night. Has filled in fantastically in Kieran Trippier’s absence. Gave away plenty fouls but that only added to Palace's frustration, also firing in a few dangerous low crosses at the other end!

Fabian Schar - 7 - A solid display from the Swiss centre back. Stayed switched on in a tough second half and compliments Burn so well, although his passing radar was a little off again here. Did make one error in the first half that Palace failed to punish on the break, but he didn't let us down in the end!

Dan Burn - 7 - The big man from Blyth won everything in the air as always and kept it tidy in possession. Wasn't really tested by Edouard or Mateta but he continues to look a brilliant piece of business.

Matt Targett - 8 - Playing out of his skin at present and always looks so dependable. Not getting forward as much as he’d like, but didn't give Olise or Ayew a sniff and used the ball well. Only Bruno had more touches and he could've bagged an assist on another night, with his dangerous set piece delivery being headed over by Joelinton. Sign him up!

Jonjo Shelvey - 7 - Struggled to use his well known passing range to good effect at times, however his pressing, discipline and shielding the back four was that of a player who looks fit, motivated and much better for Howe's arrival!

Joelinton - 6.5 - Lucky to get away with a sloppy bit of play midway through the first half when his careless pass allowed Edouard to hit it straight at Dubravka. On the other hand, he battled well all evening, didn't give Gallagher time on the ball and used his physicality well to disrupt their attempts to play through us.

Bruno Guimareas - 8.5* - There was a few rock solid display last night, but this bloke looked head and shoulders above the rest once again! Was so tenacious off the ball and seemed to cover every blade of grass, but also played a quality pass out to Almiron to help set up our goal and won us several fouls in the second half to see the game out. Displayed moments of genius to keep possession throughout the game and offered that rare mix of steely determination and Brazilian flare in the middle of the park. What a player.

Miguel Almiron - 8 - The Paraguayan really is taking his chance in the side, scoring an absolutely fantastic solo goal. The celebrations showed how much this means to him and he followed that up with an energetic display at both ends of the field. Pressed well, had the beating of Mitchell and ran himself into the ground as always.

Allan Saint-Maximin - 6.5 - Was expecting a masterclass after the pre-match display in the Gallowgate. The great work from Wor Flags clearly gave him a lift, as he was lively in patches early on and chipped in defensively which was great to see. However, his final product was lacking - even if his decision making leading up to the final third was slightly better here.

Chris Wood - 6 - I feel like I'm repeating myself now. He does the dirty work well and puts in a real shift for the side, but he often looked isolated, had a few loose touches and didn’t make the most of the one opportunity that fell his way in the first half. That said, he did win a fantastic header late on to deny Palace a clear cut chance.