One 8.5, three 8/10s and a few 5s - Newcastle player ratings from Hull win

Newcastle United head into the international break with a much-needed win, seeing off Hull City in what was truly a game of two halves.

We ran riot in the first 45 as Joe Willock and Lewis Hall fired us into an early 2-0 lead, but hung on in the end as Hull City dominated a nervy second half.

Here are our marks out of 10 and comments on each player involved.

Starting 11

Hornicek (6) - A few shaky moments early on, including an ill-advised attempt at a Cruyff turn in the box, which was nearly capitalised on by Belloumi. A few wayward kicks too and looked a little unsure at times.

Miley (7) - Right now, he actually looks better as a full back than a central midfielder. Showed great natural instincts to intercept Hull attacks, and stepped in well just seconds before Willock's opener. Didn’t offer too much in an attacking sense, and the goal was conceded when he moved into midfield and lost possession. 

Thiaw (6) - Was much improved from the Leeds game but still doesn’t seem to be firing on all cylinders just yet. Had a lot of defending to do in the second half and we just about held on. Had a great opportunity to make it three, but absolutely fluffed his lines when clean through on goal.

Botman (6) - Got on the end of everything but quite a few of his clearances were quite poor and went straight to the opposition. Doesn’t come across as a natural leader on the pitch and could find himself out of the team when Burn returns.

Hall (8.5) - Was playing a different game to everyone else at times. Never looked troubled defensively, played a huge role in our fluid first-half play and capped a superb performance with a well-taken goal. Comfortably our best player at the moment.

Steur (8) - A real talent. Has a real calmness and maturity on the ball, with his first thought to look for a forward pass which is refreshing. Looks much more comfortable when we’re dominating possession, compared to games where he’s had to do a lot more defending, like Leeds. Game changed when he went off. 

Willock (8) - Gave absolutely everything. This was a throwback to the player we know he can be, driving forward with the ball. Best performance in a long time and he opened the scoring inside three minutes. If his body can hold up then he’ll be an important player this season.  

Murphy (5) - Grafted hard but offered very little in attack. As a senior member of the squad, you’d expect to see more from him. Will need to improve quickly or he could find himself out of the team.

Wissa (5.5) - Missed a penalty on the stroke of half-time, which proved to be a real momentum shift. Took up some great spaces in between the lines and got plenty of touches but never had a real sighter on goal. 

Barnes (8) - Two assists to cap off a really inspirational performance from the winger. Is playing with a great deal of confidence and is comfortably our most threatening goal threat. Cemented his position on the left wing.

Fernandez-Pardo (6.5) - In possession he was feeding off scraps, but his real value was out of possession. Produced some really relentless and fast-paced pressing leading from the front. Ran himself into the ground and his commitment can’t be questioned. Hopefully he can start to show more in possession after the international break.

Substitutes 

Schar (6) - Replacing Steur seemed like an odd substitution at the time as it required a major rejig of a defence which was functioning well. Nevertheless it’s always good to have his experience on the pitch which is more crucial than ever this season.

Toure (NR) - Came on for a cramping Fernandez-Pardo in a No.9 role. Plenty of running but didn't touch the ball much. 

Bamba (NR) - Some tidy passes and tried to snap into a few tackles. Still finding his feet as Newcastle player.