NUFC player ratings vs AC Milan - One 9, two 7s, several 6s, the odd 5 and one 4

An absolutely devastating night on Tyneside, where Newcastle crashed out of Europe altogether after taking the lead against AC Milan. Ultimately, we came up short in a huge learning curve for Eddie and his men. Here's the ratings from the 2-1 defeat:

Martin Dubravka - 6 - Couldn’t do much about the goals and was quick off his line at one point in the first half. Distribution seemed decent in parts, although it is a slight concern that the vast majority of shots he's faced over the past week have turned to goals. 

Kieran Trippier - 7 - Excellent first half, bombing forwarded and exploiting the space left by Leao who he kept pretty quiet before he was forced off with a knock he struggle to shake. Linked up well with Miggy and Miley and showed his experience to outsmart the lively but lazy Leao. 

Jamaal Lascelles - 6 - Had a big battle with Giroud all night with mixed results. Got done on a few occasions and committed a few fouls, but generally did O. Excellent on the ball however which was nice to see.

Fabian Schar - 5 - Wandered off into no man’s land leaving huge spaces in behind, which led to Milan’s second goal of the evening. Was obviously desperate to push his team forward for a goal but that ultimately cost us in the end. Battled well all evening and fell to his knees at full time. 

Tino Livramento - 5 - Got away with a huge let off after gifting the ball to Leao, who rattled the post in the second half. Struggled to really effect the game like we know he can in the final third and ran out of ideas near the end when pushing for a goal. A few solid pieces of defending - he showed his incredible athleticism in the first half to stop Leao on the counter - but he was another who ran out of steam. 

Bruno Guimaraes - 6 - Good first half but looked shattered in the second half, which left us exposed. Some sloppy moments on the ball and should've taken out a Milan player in the build up to their second, but very nearly sent us 2-1 up with a brilliant touch and shot that Maignan did incredibly to save. Fine margins - he looked devastated after the game. 

Joelinton - 9* - Our best player on the night again. Absolute thunderbolt into the top corner for our goal and was a constant menace in midfield all night, making driving runs, regaining possession and giving his all, as ever. He's developing into a real midfield enforcer, but also looked a threat on the left when he was moved there. Belongs at this level and didn't deserve to lose. 

Lewis Miley - 7.5 - Another impressive performance from the 17 year old. Now holds the record for the Youngest Englishman playing for a Premier League side to assist a goal in the Champions League. Didn’t look out of place yet again, looking so comfortable and unphased on the ball. The silver lining of our injury crisis.

Miguel Almiron - 4 - So poor, sadly. Missed an absolute sitter in the first half, with his refusal to shoot with his right foot allowing Tomori to make that last-ditch tackle. Looked short on ideas, misplaces a few simple passes, seemed reluctant to get crosses in or go at his man. A player in desperate need of rotation.

Anthony Gordon - 6 - Was a bright spark off the left in the first half, popping up in pockets of space and cutting in to good effect. Our goal came from him drifting inside and running at the defence before playing a lovely pass to Miley. However, he seemed to fade pretty quickly and he struggled to get any joy up against Calabria after a promising start. It's believe he has a slightly hamstring complaint, which explains why he was forced off early in the second half. 

Callum Wilson - 5 - Pretty anonymous throughout the game and missed the ball for a half chance in the second 45. Didn’t get the service he would’ve liked and looked frustrated at times. The odd decent piece of hold up play, but Tomori and Hernandez got the better of him in the end. 

Substitutes:

Alexander Isak - 5 - Looked lively cutting inside from the left hand side and dribbling towards goal but Milan managed him well in the end with a few tactical fouls. For me, needs to foul a Milan player when they’re breaking away for our second goal and didn’t show enough fight to run back. Disappointing really and hope it’s tiredness and not laziness.

Sean Longstaff - 5 - Replaced Miley on the right side of our midfield three. Kept the ball moving but struggled to add any creative spark when we needed a goal late on.

Dan Burn - 5 - Great to see him back offered very little going forward.