Newcastle beat Norwich 4-3, scoring twice in stoppage time to beat the Canaries.
Dwight Gayle celebrates scoring the fourth goal for Newcastle United
Newcastle completed an incredible stoppage time comeback against Norwich, scoring twice in added time to beat the Canaries 4-3, after going 3-1 behind.
Karl Darlow 6/10 – Coming in for the under-fire Matz Sels, Darlow had a quiet game, and couldn’t really do much with any of Norwich’s goals.
DeAndre Yedlin 8/10 – The American has shown in two matches how good a player he can be in black and white. Not the best in possession by all means, but he played a part in two Newcastle goals, and his pace will always get him out of trouble.
Jamaal Lascelles 7.5/10 – The Newcastle captain was solid throughout, not including a rough patch in the second half when Cameron Jerome started to get the better of him.
Ciaran Clark 9/10 – The centre continued his impressive run after a man of the match performance at Villa Park. Clark was colossal, and would have won another man of the match award had it not been for Gayle’s hat trick.
Ciaran Clark of Newcastle United (R) and Jonny Howson of Norwich City in action
Paul Dummett 5/10 – For all the positives for Newcastle, Dummett was yet again a negative. His lack of ability going forward is always going to be the undoing of him, and Benitez’s style of play requires full backs who are confident going forward. Achraf Lazaar could be the ideal replacement.
Matt Ritchie 8.5/10 – A fantastic from Ritchie down the right flank, finding the perfect balance of grit and guile. The winger caused countless problems for Martin Olsson, and neatly created Gayle’s first goal.
Jack Colback 6/10 – Returning to the side in place of Isaac Hayden, Colback ruined his chances by picking up an early booking for a stupidly late challenge. The Geordie had to tread carefully for the rest of the game to avoid a red card, and was rightfully replaced as Newcastle chased the game.
Jonjo Shelvey 8.5/10 – Another game in which Shelvey pulled the strings for Newcastle. The midfielder played a range of glorious passes, constantly finding Gayle in space and creating chances for Newcastle. His form is essential in Newcastle’s promotion charge.
Jonjo Shelvey of Newcastle United (L) and Alex Tettey of Norwich City in action
Yoan Gouffran 8/10 – The man that gave Newcastle’s comeback lift off with a header to make it 3-3. Gouffran was excellent going forwards and backwards, stifling the in-form Jacob Murphy.
Mo Diame 4.5/10 – Yet another abject showing from Diame. The former Hull man looked exactly like the man he replaced at Newcastle, Moussa Sissoko, looking disinterested and constantly losing possession.
Dwight Gayle 9.5/10 – Outstanding performance from Newcastle’s number nine. Gayle was lively from the off, and his confident wasn’t shaken after missing a couple of early chances. The hat trick takes his tally to seven for the season, and he can score the goals to propel Newcastle back to the Premier League.
Dwight Gayle celebrates scoring the second goal for Newcastle United
SUBSTITUTES
Aleksandar Mitrovic (Diame 71) 7/10 – The game was crying out for Mitrovic, and he caused chaos when he came on, but a lot of his contributions were wasteful, getting into pointless scuffles and squandering great chances. However, his presence was enough to create chances for Newcastle. The fans cheered him regardless.
Isaac Hayden (Colback 71) 7/10 – With Colback on a yellow, Hayden was needed to sure up the middle of the park. The midfielder helped force Newcastle across the line, making key interceptions and driving Newcastle forward.
Christian Atsu (Dummett 90+2) N/A – The winger did not have enough time to make an impact.
Dwight Gayle celebrates scoring the fourth goal for Newcastle United
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