Full Time: Newcastle United 0-3 Watford
Newcastle United succumbed to their fourth straight defeat in the Premier League when they were handed a 3-0 beating by Marco Silva’s Watford FC, at the St. James’ Park, on Saturday.
A 19th-minute goal from summer signing Will Hughes gave the visitors the lead before Magpies defender DeAndre Yedlin netted into his own net on the verge of half-time to make it 2-0 in favour of the Hornets. Post the break, Watford’s club record signing Andre Gray added the sheen on the scoreline with the third strike in the 62nd minute, to heap further misery on the Tynesiders.
The run of defeats will have increased the pressure on manager Rafael Benitez, with his club now slipping down the table to 14th position.
Here’s how the Newcastle players fared in the disappointing loss:
Newcastle United Player Ratings
Rob Elliot – 4/10
Never really looked comfortable in the game and his distribution too was way off the radar.
DeAndre Yedlin – 3/10
Was torn open by the combination of Richarlison and Marvin Zeegelaar throughout the game. Scored the own goal to compound his and his team’s miseries.
Florian Lejeune – 4/10
Was always under pressure with the waves of attack Watford conjured up, and instead of standing up against it, he crumbled.
Ciaran Clark – 4.5/10
Probably the best of the defenders on a very bad day, which isn’t saying much though. Tried but couldn’t do it all by himself.
Javi Manquillo – 4/10
Fared slightly better than Yedlin on the other side, effecting five clearances, but was still under the cosh for large parts of the game.
Jacob Murphy – 6/10
Was a bright spark going forward for the Magpies in a disappointing game. Starting to carve out a place for himself in the line-up.
Jonjo Shelvey – 4/10
Walked on thin ice for the entirety of the game after an early booking in the 15th minute. Hardly did anything positive with the visitors dominating the midfield battle. Poor from the captain.
Mohamed Diame – 3/10
A surprise pick from Benitez in the middle of the park, the former Hull City man offered next to nothing.
Matt Ritchie – 5/10
Hit the side netting from a decent effort early in the game. Tried to make things happen in the final third, but didn’t always work for him.
Joselu – 3/10
May win a lot of aerial battles, but his wastefulness in front of goal continues to hamper the Magpies. Needs to be more clinical.
Dwight Gayle – 4/10
Feeding on scraps for large parts of the game, the Englishman did not have a single shot at goal on the day.
Substitutes
Aleksandar Mitrovic – 6/10
Replaced Joselu in the 69th minute and worked the Watford keeper on one occasion, before seeing a late effort be blocked.
Mikel Merino – 6/10
Another substitution that had some degree of positive impact, Merino made his return from injury and looked lively. A late cross to Mitrovic almost led to a goal.
Ayoze Perez – N/A
On for Murphy with less than 15 minutes left.
Here’s how the fans reacted to the loss:
Don’t let diame anywhere near that team
— Conor Swann (@SwannConor) November 25, 2017
https://twitter.com/ArranoBaltzaa/status/934464475532611584
We need to change the squad!! START MITRO!! He might not be the best player, but he is certainly one of the more passionate ones!!
— beth (@bethmann99) November 25, 2017
Massive embarrassment. Sort it out quick
— Dave Horne (@nufc3000) November 25, 2017
Lack of summer investment now impacting severely, as we all knew it would. We've been here before. Benitez has few options but surely Joselu and Diame can't be risked again?? One goal in four games says it all.
— Steven Cowan (@StevenCowan) November 25, 2017
— Geordie Joe (@GJ_1892) November 25, 2017
https://twitter.com/Hardz944/status/934480361026965506
https://twitter.com/ffsRiviere/status/934471505068658689
https://twitter.com/dillon_h2604/status/934467799317020672
https://twitter.com/franktastic9/status/934465062928084992
https://twitter.com/TheFashyFee84/status/934470668619603968