Thu 5 Oct 2023, 11:31 · NUFCFEED

Paris Saint-German (H) player ratings: he's a perfect ten, but he wears a five

Paris Saint-German (H) player ratings: he's a perfect ten, but he wears a five
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There wasn't a poor performance in black and white on Wednesday evening, as Eddie Howe's side ran riot against Paris Saint-Germain at a raucous St. James' Park.

Here's a full rundown of our Champions League matchday two player ratings, with one of the Magpies managing to achieve the first 10/10 of the campaign:

Nick Pope – 7

Only had to make one save in the contest due to the immense effort put in by those in front of him, but was equal to Ousmane Dembélé's second-half shot. Should have probably done better on the goal, as he seemed a little hesitant, and the less said about his kicking the better. He found a teammate on just 7/17 occasions for a pass completion rate of 41%.

Kieran Trippier – 9

Even though he had about half as many touches as he typically would, he still managed to create two chances and provided the assist for Longstaff with a now trademark through ball into the box. His defensive work was stellar throughout—the lack of awareness for Lucas Hernández's goal aside—with Kylian Mbappé getting barely any change out of him.

Jamaal Lascelles (c) – 8

Probably suited the game, given Newcastle had very little possession, meaning he wasn't asked to do too much in terms of playing out from the back. Allowed to focus on his defensive duties, he put in a great shift and made a vital intervention at 3-1 when Dembélé had evaded Burn to bear down on goal. Our biggest threat from set pieces as usual, too.

Fabian Schär – 10

Won all of his duels, played with immense composure, and scored one of the best goals we've ever seen in the flesh. We're running out of superlatives for him. He stepped up hugely to lead the defence in the absence of Botman and was a calming influence on everyone around him. Can we please get "Fabian, Fabian Schär, everyone knows his name!" going?!

Dan Burn – 8

The celebration for his goal was the moment of the match and although he had his typically shaky spell in the first half, this was another solid performance from the giant left-back. The desire he showed to score the second was incredible and although he struggled to contend with Dembélé at times, there aren't many defenders in world football who wouldn't.

Sean Longstaff – 9

What a night for Longstaff, who may have even exceeded his Carabao Cup Semi-Final exploits from last season with his first Champions League goal. He was everywhere, as usual, but combined his effort and determination with an assumed display in possession, which isn't always the norm. His return to the starting XI has been absolutely massive.

Bruno Guimarães – 9

He's back, he's definitely back. We were starting to worry about our star man a few games into this season after his rather abject end to 2022/23, but almost everything's clicking for him now. He relishes these occasions and came up big when needed last night, providing a superb cross for Burn's goal. His off-the-ball work was of the highest level.

Sandro Tonali – 7

Most of his off-the-ball work was of a great standard and there's no doubting his effort, but he's still struggling badly in possession. While it's great to see him trying to play more expansively, he effectively substituted himself with his wasteful use of the ball in the second half during a period when Newcastle could not afford to invite any undue pressure.

Miguel Almirón – 9

It's now three goals in four games for the Paraguayan, who was at his infectious best here. He didn't give the PSG defenders a moment of peace from the first whistle and ran himself into the ground for the cause. His finish for the opening goal was so, so good, too, bursting onto the rebound at full speed before setting himself and burying his shot in the far corner.

Alexander Isak – 7

He should have scored the opener instead of Almirón but fluffed his lines after being found in the box by Guimarães, something that's becoming a bit of a theme of late for the usually ice-cool Swede. He still doesn't look fully sharp to us and the head injury he suffered in the first half didn't help his cause, but he put in one hell of a shift and led the press relentlessly.

Anthony Gordon – 9

It's such a shame that he'll miss the West Ham game at the weekend because he is playing sublime football at the moment. Though he didn't contribute by way of a goal or an assist this time around, his overall game was world-class, and we don't use that phrase lightly. He's so sharp, looks after the ball so well, and contributes enormously to our high press.

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Elliot Anderson – 6

Wasn't much better than Tonali in possession but did help alleviate any potential pressure from PSG with a few mazy dribbles that dragged the entire team forward. He's still so young but doesn't look out of place in the side at all. When he gets that first goal he'll likely go from strength to strength.

Jacob Murphy – 6

Replaced an exhausted Almirón with 20 minutes left on the clock and managed to grab himself an easy assist for the fourth goal. Was barely involved in an attacking capacity aside from that moment but Howe can always rely on him to do the defensive work required in situations like this.

Matt Targett – 5

One minute of action and no touches of the ball for Tiggs, but a taste of Champions League football at St. James! We hope he loved it as much as we did, and that he's got an appearance bonus clause in his contract.