Newcastle 1-1 Leeds: Player ratings as points shared in thriller

Newcastle and Leeds played out an absolute barnstormer on Friday evening, combining for 38 shots on goal in their 1-1 draw.

Leeds began the game on top and deservedly found themselves ahead after 13 minutes. Raphinha's deep cross from the right wing was dummied by Rodrigo and found its way into the corner of Karl Darlow's goal.

That goal sparked a real end-to-end affair which saw both sides enjoy plenty of great chances. Newcastle came close through Joelinton, while Matt Richie hit the post, and Steve Bruce's side bagged a merited equaliser shortly before the break as Allan Saint-Maximin fired home after a trademark mazy run.

That electric tempo settled down after the break, but we still saw plenty of shots on goal. Leeds enjoyed the lion's share of the chances but failed to really test Darlow, whose toughest test was keeping out a potential own goal shortly after the interval.

Newcastle had their own glimpses of goal but couldn't add to Saint-Maximin's opener and had to settle to a hard-earned point.

Newcastle player ratings

1. Goalkeeper & defenders

Karl Darlow (GK) - 7/10 - Made a number of decent saves and proved to be a significant upgrade on young Freddie Woodman. Did incredibly well to prevent an own goal early in the second half.

Javier Manquillo (RB) - 6/10 - Did well to deal with James for the majority of the game. Looked switched on to help out those around him too.

Ciaran Clark (CB) - 5/10 - Endured a really poor start to the game and could do nothing to stop Rodrigo and Raphinha.

Jamaal Lascelles (CB) - 3/10 - Really poor. Looked completely overwhelmed from the first whistle and never regained confidence. Some woeful passing and no organisation at all.

Isaac Hayden (CB) - 4/10 - A poor showing in defence so was quickly pushed back into midfield, where he continued to struggle against Leeds' high press.

Matt Richie (LB) - 5/10 - Performances like this remind you that Richie is actually a winger. Impressive in attack but absolutely woeful in defence. Torched by Raphinha all game.

2. Midfielders

Joe Willock (CM) - 5/10 - Fortunate not to give away an early penalty and struggled to get a grip on the game.

Sean Longstaff (CM) - 2/10 - Couldn't defend and couldn't attack. Looked painfully out of his depth.

Miguel Almiron (AM) - 6/10 - Worked incredibly hard and found himself in some brilliant positions, but didn't always get the passes he needed.

3. Forwards

Joelinton (ST) - 6/10 - Some absolutely woeful finishing but did his best to make up for it with his work rate. Can't fault the effort at all.

Allan Saint-Maximin (ST) - 9/10 - This guy is a lot of fun. Created excitement with absolutely everything he did and bagged a glorious goal to tie things up. A human highlight reel.

4. Substitutes

Ryan Fraser (AM) - 5/10 - Didn't have the desired impact after replacing Almiron. Played a little too slowly and calmed things down too much.

Emil Krafth (RB) - N/A - Replaced Manquillo after a knock late on.

Jacob Murphy (LM) - N/A - An injury-time addition.

Leeds player ratings

5. Goalkeeper & defenders

Illan Meslier (GK) - 7/10 - A lot busier than he probably expected to be. Made some brilliant saves to stop Saint-Maximin from stealing the show.

Stuart Dallas (RB) - 4/10 - Will be seeing Saint-Maximin in his nightmares. Did not enjoy his game whatsoever.

Luke Ayling (CB) - 4/10 - Didn't have the pace or the positioning to keep up with Saint-Maximin. Looked really uncomfortable as a centre-back.

Liam Cooper (CB) - 4/10 - Looked to be running through treacle at times. Played the whole game in slow motion and was three or four paces behind Newcastle's forward line.

Junior Firpo (LB) - 5/10 - Missed an absolute sitter before half-time and didn't do enough for the equaliser, but generally wasn't that bad... largely because he was usually on the opposite side to Saint-Maximin.

6. Midfielders

Kalvin Phillips (DM) - 5/10 - A harsh rating as Phillips was left to battle Newcastle's forward line on his own. Wasn't particularly bad but did about as well as you'd expect one man to do against an entire team.

Raphinha (RM) - 8/10 - Got the goal his performance deserved and was absolutely outstanding in the first half. Terrorised Newcastle's back line and could have easily created three or four goals.

Mateusz Klich (CM) - 5/10 - His tame shot in the box was made even worse by the fact he could have played Raphinha in with the easiest pass ever instead.

Rodrigo (CM) - 8/10 - Could have had a ten for his first-half performance. Involved in everything and tormented Newcastle with his movement. Calmed down after the break but was still so impressive.

Daniel James (LM) - 6/10 - Taken off on the hour mark after a challenging showing. Underwhelming in attack but did put in a real shift on the defensive side. Should have won a penalty.

7. Forward

Patrick Bamford (ST) - 5/10 - Hasn't really found his shooting boots yet this season. Had a couple of good chances but never really looked like scoring.

8. Substitutes

Tyler Roberts (RM) - 5/10 - Contributed to the slower tempo of the second half. Really didn't match Raphinha's impact whatsoever.


Crysencio Summerville (LM) - 6/10 - A quiet debut.

Jamie Shackleton (CM) - N/A - Brought on to kill time.