Newcastle United left the Parc des Princes with a point, but it should have been all three after one of the finest European performances in the club's history.
Eddie Howe and his players were mere minutes away from an astounding 1-0 win in Paris until an unwelcome intervention from VAR Tomasz Kwiatkowski and the cowardice of referee Szymon Marciniak ruined the party.
Still, there wasn't a poor display from anyone in black and white, and in the cold light of day, the overriding feeling is one of pride. From Pope to Isak, every single player completed the full game and gave everything.
They all just deserved so, so much more for their efforts.
If Pope had saved Mbappé's penalty, this may have gone down as the greatest performance of his professional career. He was a colossus, making six saves—five of them from shots taken inside the box—including potentially the stop of his life when denying Barcola.
Tripps has found his mojo again. He seemed to relish being up against Mbappé and, just like in the reverse game at St James', stifled the 'world's best player' to such an extent that he ended up being moved away from the left flank. He was incredible in the opening period.
We're running out of superlatives for the captain, who continues to defy expectations by performing at a high level on the biggest of stages. He was imperious in the air, made a fool of Mbappé a couple of times on the deck, and was fully deserving of a clean sheet.
Got through a mountain of work defensively, but for once his long-range passing let him down. If his radar had been attuned, it would've helped to relieve the considerable pressure that built up in the second half. Still, we're nitpicking, he was largely brilliant once again.
Tino may have made the left-back spot his own already. His run to set up the opener was genuinely world-class and he made Dembélé look decidedly average throughout. The penalty given against him was a disgrace, but this kid is destined for the top regardless.
From one prodigious young talent to another. Is Lewis Miley human? He showed little sign of nerves on such a massive stage and played a huge part in keeping PSG at bay for so long. His first-half performance in particular was outstanding, though he clearly tired later on.
Much like Tripps, Bruno is very much back to his best. After running the game against Chelsea at the weekend, he was the standout player in the middle of the park once again. He was swallowed up a bit in the second period but was at his absolute best in the first.
His deserved 22nd-minute yellow card stifled his defensive contribution somewhat, but the big Brazilian still did everything in his power to get us over the line. He was the most energetic of the midfield trio and was one of the few able to relieve pressure late on.
Miggy's first 45 minutes was one of his finest in black and white. He played a crucial part in the goal and made another huge chance for Isak, but it was his defensive effort that really caught the eye. He made almost twice as many tackles as anyone from the right wing!
He got the crucial goal but looked goosed for the majority of the contest. There's every chance he was encouraged to conserve energy due to his recent injury and the number of games we have coming up, but his lack of movement and hold-up play was detrimental.
Like Isak, his performance was stifled by tiredness as much as anything else. There was no lack of effort, though, and he still showed some flashes of his very best. Up against one of the supposed best right-backs in the world, he easily gave as much as he got.
An angry Newcastle United will welcome Erik ten Hag's amusingly naff Manchester United to St James' Park on Saturday evening for an 8 p.m. kick-off.
It'll be broadcast live on TNT Sports and we're expecting the ground to be bouncing after the injustice suffered in Paris last night.
Howay the lads!
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
14 | 18 | 35 |
2 |
Chelsea
|
15 | 17 | 31 |
3 |
Arsenal
|
15 | 14 | 29 |
4 |
Manchester City
|
15 | 6 | 27 |
5 |
Nottingham Forest
|
15 | 1 | 25 |
6 |
Aston Villa
|
15 | 0 | 25 |
7 |
Brighton
|
15 | 3 | 24 |
8 |
Bournemouth
|
15 | 3 | 24 |
9 |
Brentford
|
15 | 3 | 23 |
10 |
Fulham
|
15 | 2 | 23 |
11 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
15 | 12 | 20 |
12 |
Newcastle United
|
15 | -2 | 20 |
13 |
Manchester United
|
15 | 1 | 19 |
14 |
West Ham United
|
15 | -8 | 18 |
15 |
Everton
|
14 | -7 | 14 |
16 |
Leicester
|
15 | -9 | 14 |
17 |
Crystal Palace
|
15 | -6 | 13 |
18 |
Ipswich
|
15 | -13 | 9 |
19 |
Wolves
|
15 | -15 | 9 |
20 |
Southampton
|
15 | -20 | 5 |