Newcastle United Player Ratings vs Southampton: 9/10 for glorious Guimaraes; poor Murphy gets 5

Newcastle United came from behind to register a 2-1 victory at Southampton to extend their unbeaten Premier League run to nine matches.

Newcastle United fought back from a goal down to win 2-1 against Southampton in the Premier League on Thursday night, courtesy of a stunning back-heel volley from Bruno Guimaraes.

After a scruffy start to the game without any clear-cut chances, the first half burst into life when Stuart Armstrong scrambled the ball over the line with the help of a deflection off Dan Burn for Southampton’s opener. Moments later, Shelvey’s mistake released Armando Broja through on goal, but the in-form Chelsea loanee blazed over.

However, Newcastle drew level seven minutes later when Chris Wood rose above his marker Mohammed Salisu to head home a powerful header from Shelvey’s brilliant in-swinging cross. This was the striker’s first goal for the club since arriving from Burnley, and it ended his 14-game barren run in front of goal.

The home side reacted well before the break, with Che Adams’s thunderous strike cannoning off the crossbar before it rolled away to safety. Brazilian Bruno Guimaraes also scored his first goal for Newcastle in the 66th minute, with a sublime piece of skill to back-heel volley the ball into the net from a corner routine.

Newcastle are unbeaten in each of their last nine Premier League games.

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The Toon Army marches on and on. ? pic.twitter.com/VXtpxBPgEx

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) March 10, 2022

The Magpies piled the pressure on the hosts after taking the lead as they looked to seal the game by grabbing the third, but Southampton survived the onslaught before launching a subsequent push for the equaliser. Martin Dubravka was called into action late on, but the Newcastle United goalkeeper held firm and produced several stunning stops to deny Adam Armstrong and Salisu.

Ultimately, the visitors weathered the storm to maintain their undefeated record in 2022 and pulled themselves further clear of the drop zone, ten points ahead of the 18th-placed Burnley. Meanwhile, the hosts remain 10th on 35 points. After another hard-fought victory for the Magpies at St. Mary’s, the Hard Tackle will now run the rule over Eddie Howe’s men.

Martin Dubravka: 7/10

Dubravka was not called into that much action until the final quarter of the game when Southampton gained steam and was throwing bodies forward in search of an equaliser. He made some phenomenal saves towards the end, parrying away Tino Livramento’s cross-shot, then a fierce Stuart Armstrong strike in injury time.

There was not much more he could do to prevent the conceded goal as it took a significant deflection from Dan Burn. The Slovak was also great in pressure situations and collected the ball well from corners to bring composure to the backline.

Emil Krafth: 6/10

Krafth proved to be a real weak point at the start of the game as Kyle Walker-Peters had some joy, and the majority of Southampton attacks came down his flank. But, as the game progressed, the Swede improved and grew strong, making a crucial interception towards the end. He got stuck in down the right side but also allowed Southampton the freedom to exploit his flank on occasion.

Fabian Schar: 7/10

Schar did not have that composed presence and looked timid at the back on occasions. He played through the pain barrier and battled on to help Newcastle earn another massive three points. The Swiss centre-back looked fairly assured at passing the ball out from the back and had a half-chance to extend Newcastle’s lead in the second half but could not control a long free-kick.

Dan Burn: 7.5/10

Dan Burn (#nufc)vs Southampton

1 assist
2 key passes
9 clearances
2 blocked shots
2 tackles
4 accurate long balls
3 aerial duels won
3 ground duels won pic.twitter.com/kdyTj8UjwN

— Stepover Stats (@StepoverStats) March 10, 2022

Another colossal performance from Dan Burn as he absolutely bossed Southampton’s danger-men Che Adams and Armando Broja throughout the game by himself. It was a commanding and composed display as he mopped up numerous long balls and flung into vital challenges to clear the danger. There was an unfortunate deflection off him to concede the Southampton goal, but he made up for it by setting up Bruno’s first Newcastle goal with a towering header at the back post.

Matt Targett: 7/10

Targett was, as usual, a dependable defensive presence down the left flank, but he also caused Southampton a fair few problems with his dangerous deliveries from wide areas. It was his corner that led to Bruno’s goal, and moments later, he was denied a goal against his former club after Salisu cleared his thunderous volley off the line.

Jonjo Shelvey: 7/10

Shelvey got off to a shaky start as he was wasteful in possession and was almost punished by Broja for his sloppy pass. He showed his class and quality with a brilliant curling ball for Chris Wood to head home. Overall, it was a big display from the stand-in captain, who gave a balance to the midfield and dug deep late in the game to seal all three points.

Joe Willock: 8/10

Willock drove the Magpies forward with his bursts of pace and made some enterprising dribbles and late runs into the box. He headed over a golden chance on the brink of half-time from Bruno’s teasing cross. He was switched into an attacking midfield role when Newcastle shifted to a double-pivot to bring more front-foot pressing. He ran his socks off and made a crucial last-ditch challenge late on.

Bruno Guimaraes: 9/10

On his full Newcastle debut, Bruno announced his arrival on the Premier League stage with a piece of Brazilian flair as he scored with a ridiculous back-heel flick after Burn headed the ball across the box.

After a mixed start to the game where he lost possession a fair few times, he showcased his quality with some brilliant switches of play and was difficult to dispossess before being subbed off with a cramp. He has all the ingredients to be a top-class midfielder and will only get better with full fitness.

Jacob Murphy: 5/10

Murphy had a poor game compared to his recent bright displays. He showed plenty of energy up and down the flank, but like Krafth, Murphy struggled to cope with the presence of Walker-Peters in the first half and was booked for a rash challenge on the Englishman. He also offered very little going forward and was not sharp in the final third. But he improved after the break and performed his defensive duties well, completing more tackles than anyone on the pitch (five).

Chris Wood: 8/10

Chris Wood’s game by numbers vs Southampton:

▶️ 100% successful dribbles
▶️ 100% shot accuracy
▶️ 39 total touches
▶️ 12 aerial duels attempted
▶️ 9 aerial duels won
▶️ 2 ball recoveries
▶️ 1 goal

Great night for @officialcwood ⚽️??#NUFC | @StatmanDave pic.twitter.com/mUjylnoQOR

— NUFC HQ (@NUFC_HQ) March 11, 2022

Finally, Wood broke his duck for the Magpies with a trademark header from a Shelvey ball to equalise. Otherwise, he saw very little of the ball and did not get much service, but he took advantage of the opportunities that came his way and showed good movement, hold-up play and maintained the high-press. Won a supreme nine aerial duels.

Ryan Fraser: 6.5/10

A slight dip from Fraser’s superb attacking displays in recent games. The Scotsman did not take on the defenders or crossed frequently as much as he usually does but grew into the proceedings and again put forth a solid defensive shift. He fought tirelessly throughout and did not allow the Southampton defence a moment’s respite with his intense pressing.

SUBSTITUTES

Sean Longstaff: 5/10

Longstaff came on as a substitute for Bruno but had little impact on the game. Only had ten touches and did not offer any control while in possession. Still, he played his part to help Newcastle see out the victory.

Miguel Almiron: N/A

Did not play enough to warrant a rating.

Javier Manquillo: N/A

Did not play enough to warrant a rating.