Newcastle United had a Sunday to remember, battling past Aston Villa thanks to a superb free-kick from Kieran Trippier who scored his second goal in as many games from free-kicks. While he’ll claim the headlines, he wasn’t the only standout player in black and white.
Four players on SofaScore had ratings seven or above, highlighting how hard working the victory was. One of the men in the sevens was the £7.2m-rated Ryan Fraser, who while having fewer touches than goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, enjoyed a lively game.
He also attracted praise from journalists to show how noticeable his performance was.
Lee Ryder’s match ratings saw him receive a seven out of ten, with the journalist saying “Made Newcastle tick going forward. Put in eight crosses. Decent display in front of watching Scotland boss Steve Clarke.”
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Mark Douglas of iSport was keen to notice the improvements made by the Scot, Tweeting his reaction: “The pressing is just a joy to watch. After all that passivity, this is a team playing at full pelt. Fraser, Joelinton, Willock transformed. Really refreshing. #nufc.”
The win will be overshadowed for the Magpies though, matchwinner Kieran Trippier was forced off in the second half and has gone for an x-ray on what could be a potential break.
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However, the main takeaway from the game is that survival for the Magpies is firmly in their own hands. They now sit one position above the dreaded bottom three, but they have a four point cushion.
It reads even better for the Toon Army when you realise on top of the four point gap they’ve formed, they also have a game in hand, so have the chance to put further daylight between themselves and the drop.
In other news, Dan Ashworth stumbling block to NUFC?