We asked The Armchair Fan to give us his match ratings and player comments after Brentford 4 Newcastle 2.
Newcastle played out an ultimately frustrating and disappointing 4-2 defeat away to Brentford on Saturday, despite scoring two equalisers to go in at halftime 2-2.
The first half performance raised hopes we could bring three points back to Tyneside but a fairly dismal second period saw the Toon well beaten and once again bemoaning inconsistency, after a brilliant display against Liverpool midweek.
Let’s have a look at how the lads got on individually (marks out of ten):
Pope – 5
Not sure he was really at fault for any of the goals but conceding four is a poor return.
Almost cost us an absolutely shocking fifth when losing the ball right at the death.
Livramento – 5
Looked busy in the first half but faded in the second, a reflection of the team.
Schar – 4
Looked uncomfortable throughout.
Offered nothing going forward and unsure at the back.
Burn – 6
Made a crucial goal line clearance to save us from total humiliation.
Hall – 5
Looked busy in the first half but faded in the second, a reflection of the team. Subbed off on eighty-three minutes.
Joelinton – 4
Struggled to influence the game and at fault for the third goal.
Not a good day at the office. Subbed off on sixty minutes.
Barnes – 6
Scored a goal but loses a point for a suicidal back pass that saw Brentford take a 2-1 lead.
Subbed off on seventy three minutes.
Murphy – 6.5
Assists for both goals.
Offers a threat going forward and isn’t afraid to have a pop at goal from distance, which I’m all for. Tickets and raffles come to mind. Subbed off on sixty minutes.
Longstaff – 5
Hit the bar early on with a great strike but faded badly. Hard to understand why Tonali didn’t start. Subbed off on seventy-three minutes.
Bruno – 4
A frustrating afternoon, struggled to influence the game.
Isak – 6.5
Scored a goal but missed a golden opportunity to put us 2-1 up when he really should have scored.
Take the lead at that point and we could have been looking at a very different outcome.
Subs
Gordon – 5
Struggled to make an impact in the thirty minutes he came on for.
Tonali – 5
Very frustrating that he didn’t start this one.
Wilson – 5
Not yet match fit.
Will benefit from the minutes in his legs. A great Christmas present would be him finding form and fitness for NUFC.
Almiron – 5
His purple patch of two years ago seems a long time ago now.
Contributes very little on the few occasions he plays.
Has provided some great memories and I’ll wish him well but January is the time to go.
Tripper – N/A
Not on long enough to judge.
Brentford 4 Newcastle 2 – Saturday 7 December 3pm
(Stats via BBC Sport)
Goals:
Newcastle United :
Isak 11, Barnes 32
Brentford:
Mbeumo 8, Wissa 28, Collins 56. Schade 90
(Half-time stats in brackets)
Possession was Newcastle 56% (53%) Brentford 44% (47%)
Total shots were Newcastle 16 (9) Brentford 11 (4)
Shots on target were Newcastle 3 (2) Brentford 8 (3)
Corners were Newcastle 4 (2) Brentford 3 (1)
Touches in the box Newcastle 40 (19) Brentford 26 (12)
Newcastle team v Brentford:
Pope, Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall (Trippier 83), Joelinton (Tonali 60), Bruno, Longstaff (Wilson 73), Barnes (Almiron 74), Isak, Jacob Murphy (Gordon 60)
Unused Subs:
Dubravka, Targett, Osula, Kelly
(3 Positives and 3 Negatives to take from Brentford 4 Newcastle 2 – Read HERE)
(Brentford 4 Newcastle 2 – Instant Newcastle United fan/writer reaction – Read HERE)
(The wrong kind of six goal thriller this time – Brentford 4 Newcastle 2 – Read HERE)
Newcastle United upcoming matches confirmed to end of January 2025:
Saturday 14 December – Newcastle v Leicester (3pm)
Wednesday 18 December – Newcastle v Brentford (7.45pm) Sky Sports+ (Carabao Cup)
Saturday 21 December – Ipswich v Newcastle (3pm)
Thursday 26 December – Newcastle v Villa (3pm) Amazon
Monday 30 December – Man U v Newcastle (8pm) Sky Sports
Saturday 4 January – Tottenham v Newcastle (12.30pm) TNT Sports
Sunday 12 January – Newcastle v Bromley (3pm) BBC iPlayer (FA Cup)
Wednesday 15 January – Newcastle v Wolves (7.30pm) TNT Sports
Saturday 18 January – Newcastle v Bournemouth (12.30pm) TNT Sports
Saturday 25 January – Southampton v Newcastle (3pm)