Player ratings vs. Norwich City: Dubravka was at his best today

DeAndre Yedlin (7/10)

• Yedlin was only in the game for 54 minutes, but he was actually one of the better players on the pitch. The American saw plenty of the ball as a result of his stellar positioning, but his crosses were terrible. Of the several crosses he delivered in the box, only one of them gave Joelinton and Miguel Almiron a chance to do something.

Isaac Hayden (7/10)

• Hayden played well today and he did what he knows how to do best: recover the ball. Field spacing was a problem for the Magpies and this hindered Hayden’s ability to spread the ball around. He spent most of his time chasing the ball rather than stringing together passes to move his teammates higher up the pitch.

Nabil Bentaleb (7/10)

• The Algerian started in his Premier League debut with Newcastle United and he had some impressive moments. Bentaleb played with composure, switched the field of play a few times and was aggressive in his duels. He was overly aggressive in the second half, though, and he picked up a yellow card. The loanee  also gave away a free kick in a dangerous area in the late stages of the game.

Matt Ritchie (6.5/10)

• Ritchie did a good job offensively with accurate short passes and quality crosses into the box from out wide. Defensively, though, Ritchie was bailed out by his teammates a few times. The aggression was there defensively, but he was not always aware of his surroundings.