Newcastle United 1-0 Manchester United: Player Ratings

Newcastle stunned a poor Manchester United at St. James' Park to give them their first home victory since October and lift them to 13th in the Premier League.

From a Newcastle free-kick conceded due to a dive by Chris Smalling, the resultant dead-ball was immediately booted up the field by the Magpies. Matt Ritchie took full advantage from non-existent United marking to sweep home and give Newcastle a vital three points to steer them clear of the relegation zone.

Newcastle United

Martin Dubravka - 9

Dubravka - making his Toon debut - was assured in goal, making an excellent save with his leg to keep out Anthony Martial in the first half. He made a stunning save from Carrick's toed shot with virtually the last attack of the game. His anticipation of the pace of the ball to decide whether to come out of goal was near-perfect.

DeAndre Yedlin - 7.5

Yedlin struggled against the robustness of Sanchez but managed to provide some width and pace when he went on the offensive end. He sent Sanchez slightly wide after he went past Dubravka, making him shoot from a tighter angle. He also made a goal-line block to deny Martial in the 77th minute.

Jamaal Lascelles - 7.5

Lascelles made important clearances to frustrate the Lukaku, matching the Belgian in aerial duels. He organised his defence well and kept his focus to eke out a positive result for Rafa Benitez's side.

Florian Lejeune - 7.5

Lejeune was brilliant at centre-half, making vital defensive headers and clearances to put United at bay. His recovery block to stop Sanchez's shot from entering the net was the highlight of the game.

Paul Dummett - 7

Dummett was impressive going up the pitch, delivering quality balls across the face of goal. Defensively, he was tested by the fleet-footedness of Martial but kept track of him the entire game.

Matt Ritchie - 7.5

Ritchie put in a tireless shift, charging down the flank and moving the ball across the pitch quickly to unsettle United. He was at the right place at the right time to receive Dwight Gayle's back-heeled layoff from the centre of the box to give Newcastle what turned out to be a crucial winning goal.

Jonjo Shelvey - 7.5

Shelvey was a busy figure in midfield, making crucial passes and going forward himself to put pressure on United's defence. He struck a fierce shot early in the game which was well saved by de Gea despite the pace and swerve on the ball.

Mohamed Diame - 7.5

Diame played the defensive midfielder's role to good effect. He closed down Pogba and Lingard while not allowing them with the room to express themselves in attack to get the killer pass to open up their back-line.

Kenedy - 7

Kenedy showed his pace on the ball, making quick approaches towards the United box and linking up with Dummett on the left flank. A powerful strike towards goal was saved by De Gea.

Ayoze Perez - 7

Perez was industrious in an attacking position, pressing the United defenders and threatening to win possession back for the Magpies. He should have won a penalty when he was fouled by Smalling in the first half.

Dwight Gayle - 7.5

Gayle provided the assist - a back-heeled pass towards the middle of the 18-yard box for Ritchie to slam home. He, like Perez, worked hard to press United down in their defensive third. He was impressive on a defensive note, blocking Martial on the line to preserve his side's lead.

Substitutions:

Joselu - 6.5

Joselu came on for the final 10 minutes and drew a couple of rash challenges from United, helping them run the clock down more than anything else.

Christian Atsu - 7

Atsu defended excellently against Sanchez in the dying moments, blocking his crosses and deflecting them for corners.

Isaac Hayden - N/A

He came on in injury time.

Manchester United

David de Gea - 6.5

De Gea made a brilliant save from Jonjo Shelvey's swerving effort within the opening two minutes of the game. He could not have done much to keep Ritchie's effort out.

Antonio Valencia - 6

Valencia was well below his high standards at Newcastle, providing no whip in his crosses and also struggling against the pace of Kennedy and energy of Dummett on the flank.

Chris Smalling - 5

Smalling may well have been penalized as he sent Perez tumbling to the ground without the challenge being sanctioned by the referee. He conceded the free-kick for simulation that resulted in the goal, making it a poor performance overall from the centre-back.

Phil Jones - 6.5

Jones made a number of clearances to keep United stable against a high-tempo Newcastle United. He could have done more to get his team-mates to man-mark Newcastle's approaching men.

Ashley Young - 7

Young was United's best player in a disappointing performance, bringing the ball forward and beating opponents in one-on-one duels. Defensively, he was involved in a fantastic battle between himself and Matt Ritchie in a bid to stop the latter from getting crosses in.

Nemanja Matic - 6.5

Matic had a rusty start, losing the ball cheaply to the opposition a couple of times. He made up for it with an excellent defence-splitting pass to send Martial through towards the end of the first half. He was in a more advanced position once United fell behind, but was unable to impact the game from there.

Paul Pogba - 5.5

Pogba didn't display the intensity at St. James' park as he normally associates his performances with. He looked as if he was playing with an injury, misplacing passes in midfield and failing to track back when Newcastle gained possession.

Alexis Sanchez - 7

The Chilean powerhouse's work-rate was credible, making inroads across the byline and taking on Newcastle's players one by one to get a sight on goal. He missed a great opportunity to score when he skipped past Dubravka and saw his shot blocked by Lejeune.

Jesse Lingard - 6

Lingard was tied down by the hardworking Diame and couldn't really construct a goal-scoring opportunity from a No. 10 position.

Anthony Martial - 6.5

Martial missed three excellent chances to get United on the scoresheet, the first being saved by the debutant Dubravka and the subsequent two being cleared off the line in quick succession. He worked hard on the right wing, using his pace and ingenuity on the ball to good effect.

Romelu Lukaku - 6.5

Lukaku was starved of any good service owing to Newcastle's immense defending and organized set-up. He held the ball up on the edge of the box to help his teammates come forward, but never got a clear shot at Dubravka's goal.

Substitutions:

Michael Carrick - 6

The veteran midfielder tried to affect the game from central midfield with his wide range of passing, but could not break down a resilient Newcastle. His last-minute shot was wonderfully saved by Dubravka.

Juan Mata - 6.5

Mata was tasked with getting United back into the game with his deft touches and feeding passes, but Newcastle were committed to putting bodies behind for the cause.

Scott McTominay - 6

McTominay could not get a grip on the game during his short stint on the pitch, getting dispossessed and running into a crowd of Newcastle bodies every time he had the ball at his feet.

Edited by Raunak J