Reacted quickly to stop a deflected cross from looping in. Stopped Bigirimana's effort, but beat it straight out in front, with El-Abd having to stretch and knock behind for a corner. Did well to prevent another deflected cross looping past him. Could not have hoped for a much quieter afternoon.
Defended effectively for much of the opening half, and almost had an opportunity to add a second before half-time, but could not get on the end of Bridge's long free kick. Defended well
Stood his ground well to marshal a free kick out of play with Williamson ready to leap. Formed a good trio with El-Abd and keeper Ankergren at the back, keeping the ball short from goal kicks to start attacks. Got a shade lucky when a cross deflected off his knee, forcing Ankergren into a save.
Made some good contributions in the first half down the left, none more so than his sprint to keep the ball in play and cross for the opening goal. Showed some neat tricks as well, including a back heel. Sent in a decent cross that El-Abd just failed to get on the end of. Saw a shot deflected for a corner.
As two-touch goals go, his opener was rather special. Taking the ball on the spin, he controlled it up into the air, and with his left foot he flicked it beyond the despairing Elliot for a richly-deserved opener. Unleashed a decent shot in the second half, but it flew a fair distance over. Was replaced in the second half and proceeded straight down the tunnel.
A pretty good display from the midfielder, keeping it simple and regularly finding Bridcutt. Pushed further up in the second half to try and offer support to Mackail-Smith, with Newcastle looking for an equaliser.
Was a threat down the right in the opening half, finding plenty of space in behind Sammy Ameobi. Hit a wicked drive that was well-stopped by Elliot. Made the most of contact from Shola Ameobi to get the striker a second yellow card. Played a nice one-two and a great ball through to Hoskins for the second.
Came close to opening the scoring with Perch clearing his looping header off the line. Worked hard in the most advanced midfield role.
Played the defensive midfield role expertly, cutting the ball out and spreading it wide accurately as well as the occasionally ball in over the top. Made countless good tackles for his side, and a brilliant block from Marveaux's volley.
Had a few opportunities, but not as much influence as he would have hoped.
Constantly on the run and did not give the opposition too much time on the ball at the back. Put in a good shift, but his influence waned in the second half and he was subbed.
Came on for the last eight minutes to shore up the midfield.
Came on for Orlandi with a little over half an hour remaining and made an instant impact, going on a few runs and putting in a dangerous cross.
Came on for the last 20 minutes to offer fresh legs up front, and did not get too much time on the ball. But made his opportunity count, timing his run brilliantly before rolling the ball under Elliot.
Looked like he had gotten caught out following a looping header, but Perch was there to stop it. Held a fierce effort from David Lopez. Could not do anything about the goal, with it finding the bottom corner. Cleared with a good punch in the second half. Saw the ball clipped through his legs for the second.
Had a relatively difficult first half, with little support from Sammy Ameobi with the on-rushing David. Faced a tough time of it in the second half as well, with LuaLua giving him trouble with his direct running.
Was in the right place at the right time to clear off the line in the opening stages. Struggled a little against Mackail-Smith with the striker getting the better of him on occasion. Substituted at half-time, presumably due to injury.
Had a pretty quiet start, but saw the opener come from his flank. Switched inside to centre-back in the second half and made a decent block.
Struggled at times with Mackail-Smith, allowing the forward plenty of space, but did better in the second half. Lost Hoskins for the second goal, though.
Tested Ankergren with an effort after winning the ball back well in the opening 25 minutes, but will be disappointed to have hit it straight at the keeper. Showed plenty of endeavour in the centre, but did not exert himself on the game.
Booked for a tackle in the first half, and after failing to make much of an impact, was replaced by Ranger.
Did not control the game alongside Bigirimana as Pardew would have wanted. Was the defensive midfielder against a team dominating possession, and did not really get close enough to harry them.
Went on a good countering run, but his pull-back was easily cut out by the defence. There is always a sense that he might make something happen on the wing, but he was very sloppy on the ball and was replaced with 20 minutes remaining.
Tucked in too much when Brighton had the ball, allowing David plenty of space in behind, for which his manager spoke to him on occasion in the first half. Got round the right-back once and looked to have his leg taken out from under him, but there was no free kick given. Almost forced a goal with a deflected cross, and did well when the team went down to 10.
Looked a little exasperated in the first half with a lack of service. Made an effort to close down defenders, but their slick passing evaded him. Had a bit of a coming together with El-Abd, as the defender tested his patience. Was sent off for two pretty tame yellow cards, with the second particularly harsh.
Came on at half-time having just returned to the club after a loan spell at St.Mirren, but could not do much about the result, with Brighton already in the lead.
Had a good chance blocked by Bridcutt.
Made a good tackle with his first touch, but his next one was a wild volley over the bar that he failed to control. Offered good threat in the box, with his heading proving troublesome to the hosts. Almost got a goal back, but it was a good save from Ankergren.
| Tournament | |
| Position | |
| Ranking |
| Rank/Player | Position | Team | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Callum McManaman | Striker | Wigan Athletic | 3.88 |
| 2. David Silva | Striker | Manchester City | 3.70 |
| 3. Matt Smith | Striker | Oldham Athletic | 3.67 |
| 4. Danny Shittu | Defender | Millwall | 3.63 |
| 5. Carlos Tévez | Striker | Manchester City | 3.58 |
| 6. Grant Hanley | Defender | Blackburn Rovers | 3.50 |
| 7. Scott Dann | Defender | Blackburn Rovers | 3.50 |
| 8. Arouna Kone | Striker | Wigan Athletic | 3.50 |
| 9. El-Hadji Diouf | Striker | Rangers | 3.50 |
| 10. Jake Kean | Goalkeeper | Blackburn Rovers | 3.50 |
| 11. Juan Mata | Striker | Chelsea FC | 3.42 |
| 12. Shaun Maloney | Striker | Wigan Athletic | 3.38 |
| 13. Sergio Agüero | Striker | Manchester City | 3.38 |
| 14. Andy Lonergan | Goalkeeper | Bolton Wanderers | 3.33 |
| 15. Joel | Goalkeeper | Wigan Athletic | 3.33 |
| 16. Eden Hazard | Midfielder | Chelsea FC | 3.33 |
| 17. Wayne Rooney | Striker | Manchester United | 3.33 |
| 18. Chicharito | Striker | Manchester United | 3.33 |
| 19. Giorgos Karagounis | Midfielder | Fulham | 3.33 |
| 20. James Henry | Midfielder | Millwall | 3.33 |
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Danny Hylton Striker Aldershot |
8 | 0 |
|
Carlos Tévez Striker Man City |
5 | 0 |
|
|
Scott Rendell Striker Luton Town |
4 | 1 |
|
Marvin Sordell Striker Bolton |
4 | 1 |
|
Demba Ba Striker Chelsea |
4 | 0 |
