One 2/10, four 3s and two 6s - Newcastle player ratings from Leeds

A nightmare night at Elland Road as Newcastle United were beaten comfortably by Leeds United on Monday. 

We were all at sea from the off and never recovered in a 4-1 defeat that ended our unbeaten start to 2026/27.

Here are our marks out of 10 and comments on each player involved in last night’s game

Starting 11

Hornicek (6*) - Conceded four but it could’ve been a whole lot more. Has found himself really busy to start the season and really needs some protection. Ability to confidently distribute with both feet is a highlight although the option to play a long ball onto the head of Toure was questionable.

Dedic (4) - Really struggled against Gudmundsson and has regressed after a bright start to his Newcastle career. Was under an injury cloud and truthfully looked miles off it.

Thiaw (3.5) - The partnership with Botman just isn’t working, whether it’s those two as a pair or the lack of protection. They looked all at sea against the physical Calvert-Lewin and it’s unfortunately not the first time we’ve seen them struggle against big centre forwards. Has Schar breathing down his neck and needs to improve and fast.

Botman (3) - This was the return of pre-season Botman as he was truly awful once again. The Rolls Royce of a centre back we signed has completely evaporated and we desperately need Dan Burn back to full fitness. Question marks will need to be asked as to whether we’ve seen the best of the big Dutchman as it’s clear performances like this are unacceptable.

Hall (5) - The gulf in class between Hall and his teammates was vast. Looked head and shoulders above anyone else and looked frustrated by the effort put forward by his teammates. 

Miley (4) - Physically nowhere near it as he was completely overrun and out hustled in the centre of midfield. Was one of his poorest displays so far and he’s really having trouble adapting from a midfield 3 to a midfield 2. Needs a lot of work on the training ground to improve his physicality and positioning.

Nico (N/A) - Went off after 19 minutes as a concussion substitute from a fairly innocuous blow to the head. Will need to pass concussion protocols to play the next game. Prior to going off he looked really poor, losing his man in the first minute which led to a Leeds chance. 

Murphy (2) - That was bad. Can’t recall anything positive that he did throughout the game which is a damming indictment on a senior leader in the squad. With news of an Elanga injury he will likely be asked to deputise but he can’t be serving up performances like this again. £15m offer rejected by Forest is looking sillier each day…

Wissa (4) - Showed good endeavour and energy to charge down Trafford early on but that was about as good as it got. Flicked on for Willock to hit the bar late on but the bright start to the season has dimmed quite rapidly.

Barnes (4) - Had a real opportunity in the first half after the ball evaded Wissa and really should’ve buried the chance. Had a couple of sighters at goal but was largely ineffective. Shifted to the right to accommodate Toure in the second half.

Fernandez-Pardo (3) - First start but looked like a deer in the headlights at times. No connection at all with his teammates yet and barely touched the ball before being hauled off. Too early to judge but this was a difficult game for him.

Substitutes 

Steur (3) - Talented lad but guilty of an horrific giveaway which was duly punished by Leeds. Looked out of his depth today and seemed to not understand what was being asked of him at times. Couldn’t handle the movement or physicality of the Leeds midfield.

Toure (6) - Grabbed a consolation goal towards the end and will be better for the run out. May see his game time increase in lieu of the injury to Elanga.

Willock (5) - Did what Willock does which is a lot of running with little substance. He at least looked like he was trying and getting stuck in.

Livramento (4) - Still looks short of a gallop but could find himself in the starting line up shortly due to Dedic’s dip in form. Long way off his best but that’s to be expected after a lengthy absence.

Bamba (NR)