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Newcastle United 2-1 Hull City: Player ratings as the Magpies narrowly see off the Tigers despite late pressure

ByMatty Connelly
Newcastle United v Hull City - Premier League 2026/27
Newcastle United v Hull City - Premier League 2026/27 | Ian MacNicol/GettyImages

Well that was absolutely horrid... for the last half an hour anyway.

A good first half followed by a second that really showed why the current injury crisis is taking its toll, with a few key players flagging and a makeshift team created following the changes.

Ultimately though, Jaissle's men were able to hold out just about long enough to see the final whistle as the visitors pushed relentlessly for an equaliser, a good three points to follow up a poor showing against Leeds midweek.

Lukas Hornicek - 8

Hornicek did have a few moments with his feet, namely the attempted Cruyff turn that had everyone's heart in their mouth, but all things considered the Czech did well.

Some good saves here and there, dealt with everything thrown his way as Hull hurled balls into the box and you never REALLY felt like we were going to concede a second despite how nervy it was.

Lewis Miley - 7

Miley was asked to slot in at right-back again today with Tino Livramento still not fully fit and, as he did all throughout last season, did a very solid job.

He then went into midfield to replace the exhausted Steur and there was a noticeable difference in control but he did protect the backline well for the most part. A nice seven feels right.

Malick Thiaw - 7

Thiaw actually looked the shakier of the two centre-backs today, a change from the trend in previous weeks.

There were a few moments where his clearances left a bit to be desired and of course that absolute bullet he put across the box when all it needed was a deft ball for a certain goal, but for the most part he and Botman covered each other well when needed and looked a lot better than Leeds.

Sven Botman - 8

Now Sven, that is much more like it.

Good on the ball, no random shenanigans defensively which has been the case this season at times and, all things considered, he kept Ollie McBurnie in his pocket for the entire 90 minutes.

Possibly his best performance this season so far.

Lewis Hall - 9

Hall was once again excellent.

There were a couple of moments where he was a little careless with the ball when we were under pressure but he did score what ended up being the winning goal so I won't mark him down for that too much.

The big thing this season seems to be that Hall has gotten a lot more comfortable defensively, which is also allowing that on ball stuff to do more of the talking as well. He's really blossoming into an unbelievable full-back.

That new contract really might be the best thing we do this season.

Sean Steur - 9

After Leeds on Monday night, it would have been a perfectly defensible decision for Jaissle to take him out of the firing line - albeit there weren't many other options but to play him today.

Instead, what we got was an absolutely excellent display. Great on the ball, positionally exquisite and he looked a lot more comfortable playing in a single pivot than he ever has playing with someone alongside him.

I actually think we'd have been under a lot less pressure if he hadn't run out of steam. We've got a serious player on our hands.

Joe Willock - 9 POTM

Every single time I start thinking another option to Willock, he pops up with an award-winning performance and puts me right back in my box.

Another goal for him today, the energy was immense, and he looked a lot more disciplined than he has done in recent weeks.

Keep that sort of showing up and we'll be looking at a Ballon d'Or shout never mind getting benched, Joe.

Yoane Wissa - 6

Firstly, I'll apologise now for the fact that he missed the penalty - I've got him in my FPL so it was inevitable.

Other than that he struggles to really get into the game, albeit he did work very hard off the ball which I think went under the radar a bit. A six feels fair for today.

Jacob Murphy - 6

Murphy wasn't noticeably bad today. That's a step forward from his showing so far this season, it must be said.

The best thing I can say about him is that he was just kind of there. Did a good job when we were under pressure in the five-back so he gets praise for that.

Some cheek from him to start emoting when Hull overhit that cross, but that is why we love him so there's no complaining from me.

Harvey Barnes - 7

A couple of assists for Barnes in the opening 10 minutes but it then all went a little quiet.

Him and Hall worked very well together once again today and Barnes' best attribute was probably getting the left-back involved rather than anything to do with his individual play.

You can definitely see why Toure is struggling to get a start right now, though. Barnes really is in fine form.

Matias Fernandez-Pardo - 7

The poor bloke was basically subject to a mid-season fitness test today. Absolutely ran himself into the ground from start to finish but wasn't exactly rewarded with much on ball action for his troubles.

If he keeps working that hard he'll quickly become a fan favourite mind and I'm sure his on ball abilities will begin to shine through as he continues to get regular minutes.

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