Newcastle United half-time player ratings v Rayo Vallecano: ‘Hot and cold’ 5/10 and ‘effective’ 7/10 - gallery

Newcastle United are leading Rayo Vallecano 1-0 at half-time at St James’s Park - but how have the players fared so far? Here are our player ratings...

Eddie Howe named a strong Newcastle line-up to face the La Liga side on Saturday afternoon with Nick Pope and Kieran Trippier starting after returning from the World Cup with England.

And it took the hosts just four minutes to find a breakthrough as Kieran Trippier’s cross wasn’t properly cleared as Jacob Murphy picked up the loose ball to find Sean Longstaff to smash Newcastle ahead from a tight angle.

Here are the half-time player ratings from the match so far...