The Good, The Bad, and The Average #25: NUFC player ratings vs. Arsenal (a) [LCSF1]

Newcastle United put one foot into the final of the Carabao Cup with a quite superlative 2-0 win over Arsenal at The Emirates Stadium on Tuesday evening.

In one of the best nights of Eddie Howe's time as Head Coach, every single player in black and white dug deep into their energy reserves to secure a massive first-leg advantage.

Alexander Isak led the line brilliantly and put the fear of God into their defence. Sandro Tonali was tireless in midfield, and Dan Burn, Sven Botman, and Lewis Hall excelled at the back.

And, if this was Martin Dúbravka's final game for the club, he signed off on the highest of notes with his fifth clean sheet in seven matches.

As you might have gathered from this enthusiastic introduction, you're going to see a lot of people in the 'Good' column and a lot of very high scores if you make it to the end...

Serena Taylor/Newcastle United

The Good

What a performance from Alexander Isak again, the most in-form and probably best striker in the world at this moment in time. His finish for the opener off his weaker foot was sublime and his role in the second goal was also massive. He put the fear of God into Gabriel and Saliba and it was bloody wonderful to see.

Dan Burn and Sven Botman are an unconventional centre-half duo but they were magnificent here after a few minor scares in the first half. Burn is right up there for player of the season and Botman has slotted back into the XI majestically after his long absence. His role in the opener cannot be ignored, either.

Outside of them, Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento continue to confound with their displays in matches of this magnitude. Hall was particularly excellent once again, with his composure on the ball a huge asset, while Livramento defended with every fibre of his being even if he should have offered more in the final third.

As the last line of defence, Martin Dúbravka wasn't needed too often but when called upon, he trumps every time. If this is to be the Slovakian's last game in our colours, then he has signed off on a high. He's been immense since replacing Nick Pope, probably as good as he was when he first joined the club.

Sandro Tonali was still sprinting to close down opponents in the 95th minute. He was a bit sloppy in possession, but his defensive effort was unmatched and he's on his way to becoming the second-best number six in the division behind Rodri. He's been a revelation and there's surely still more to come.

While neither were at their electric best, Anthony Gordon and Jacob Murphy still had a huge hand in the victory. Murphy got yet another assist for Isak for the opener, while Gordon showed amazing reactions to bundle the ball home after Isak's shot was saved to make it 2-0. They each put in massive shifts, too.

Off the bench, Sean Longstaff and Lloyd Kelly epitomised the spirit that saw us see the game out. Longstaff made a huge number of defensive interventions for the short time he was on the pitch, while Kelly helped us deal with Arsenal's Pulis-esque approach to try and get back into the tie.

Eddie Howe has made us eat our words over the past month. This was one of the biggest wins in our lifetime and harked back to the wonderful 2022/23 season. He is one hell of a man and one hell of a Head Coach, and he can even make a bizarre 5-5-0 formation work.

Serena Taylor/Newcastle United

The Bad

Arsenal and Mikel Arteta are rubbish, aren't they? For the riches they have, the style of play their Lego-headed coach has implemented is rotten. Just like the game at St James', this was a succession of set pieces, long balls, and desperate crosses into the box. It's no wonder half of their fans disappeared well before the final whistle. We wouldn't pay to watch them.

On a superb night for the club, the usually reliable Joelinton was poor. In the first half, he failed to win a single duel and he always seemed a yard slow to the tackle, which saw him pick up yet another booking. All-in-all he gave the ball away 12 times in open play, but thankfully his struggles mattered not in the end.

Joe Willock wasn't much better than our big Brazilian on his return to The Emirates, but he often finds it hard when coming back into the starting XI after a long absence. He was largely invisible in the opening period before improving slightly after the break.

Serena Taylor/Newcastle United

The Average

Harvey Barnes and Miguel Almirón were asked to play more of a defensive role than usual and worked hard to help us keep the clean sheet, but they did waste a few opportunities to counter. There was one particularly hilarious moment when Barnes fell over when breaking into the box. We've all had that dream, haven't we?

And what do you know, John Brooks wasn't horrible. He wasn't good, of course, but he was much better than when we saw him earlier in the season. Any time a referee gets a 6/10 it's a good day.

Serena Taylor/Newcastle United

The Breakdown

We're back to a sea of 8s and 9s, with Isak grabbing our Man of the Match award!

The XI

Martin Dúbravka – 8

Tino Livramento – 8

Sven Botman – 9

Dan Burn (c) – 9

Lewis Hall – 9

Joe Willock – 5 (off 65')

Sandro Tonali – 8

Joelinton – 5

Jacob Murphy – 8 (off 64')

Alexander Isak – 9 ⭐️ (off 65')

Anthony Gordon – 7 (off 75')

The Subs

Harvey Barnes – 6 (on 64')

Sean Longstaff – 8 (on 65')

Lloyd Kelly – 7 (on 65')

Miguel Almirón – 6 (on 75')

The Gaffer

Eddie Howe – 9

The Opposition

Arsenal – 4

The Ref

John Brooks – 6

Getty Images

The Next

After an exhausting run of games, Howe should be able to significantly rotate his team for the visit of Bromley in the third round of the 2024/25 FA Cup on Sunday afternoon.

The BBC will be hoping for an upset in their live iPlayer broadcast, but we'd be amazed if we didn't make it eight wins in a row and six clean sheets in eight.

Howay the lads!