Newcastle United beat Southampton 1-0 with 10 men in their Premier League season opener at St James’ Park - here’s how the players fared.
The Magpies started the new season against the newly-promoted Saints with Bruno Guimaraes as captain and Tino Livramento given the nod at right-back over Kieran Trippier.
Southampton had the ball in the net after 10 minutes through Jack Stephens but the goal was quickly disallowed for an offside against the visiting captain.
Newcastle were dealt a major blow after 30 minutes as Fabian Schar was shown a straight red card for violent conduct after clashing with Ben Brereton-Diaz. A VAR check didn’t overturn Craig Pawson’s on-field decision.
Despite their disadvantage, Newcastle took the lead just before half-time as Joelinton stroked the ball in at the Gallowgate End.
Southampton pushed for an equaliser in the second half with Lewis Hall clearing Adam Armstrong’s effort off the line.
But Newcastle were able to hang on with a clean sheet and secure three points.
Here are the Newcastle United player ratings from the match...
5. Lewis Hall - 6
Got forward well but lacked the final ball. Made an important goalline clearance in the second half. Caught out with a couple of clumsy touches when attempting to play it out. Booked. | Getty Images
6. Sean Longstaff - 7
Got the biggest cheer of the afternoon before Joelinton's goal with a challenge on Brereton-Diaz. Got stuck in, tackled well and made some positive runs forward. | AFP via Getty Images
7. Bruno Guimaraes - 7
Captained the side to start the new season. Was caught in possession early on but did the dirty work really well when Newcastle were under the cosh. Very smart to win a free-kick late on to relieve the pressure having conceded one moments earlier with a clumsy foul. | Getty Images
8. Joelinton - 8
Tracked back well to stop a promising Southampton attack early on. Broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time with a well-taken finish. The best player on the park in a game often lacking in quality. A powerhouse performance. | Getty Images