Newcastle United are through to the next round of the Carabao Cup after beating AFC Wimbledon 1-0.
Newcastle were supposed to travel and face Wimbledon last week but the Carabao Cup tie was postponed due to severe flooding at Plough Lane.
Instead, the match was rearranged to take place at St James’ Park and Newcastle avoided an upset with Fabian Schar scoring the only goal of the game from the penalty spot.
Eddie Howe made eight changes to his side to face the League Two outfit and it took Newcastle a while to get going, but they eventually booked their spot in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup where they will face Premier League rivals Chelsea.
Here are the ratings from Newcastle’s cup win.
Martin Dubravka – 6
Made a brave stop just after the half-hour mark which left him with a knee injury. Replaced at half-time for Odysseas Vlachodimos.
Tino Livramento – 6
Delivered some inviting crosses and should have been encouraged to do it more frequently. Created a great chance in the second half after linking up with Almiron.
Emil Krafth – 5
Not much to shout about. Did his job at the back and kept the ball moving in possession. Made one or two unnecessary fouls but was largely untested by Wimbledon.
Fabian Schar – 8
The difference maker. Newcastle’s £3m star handled Wimbledon’s long throws and looping crosses well and put Newcastle into the lead with a calmly taken penalty on the brink of half-time.
Brilliant in possession with several line-breaking passes from the back.
Lloyd Kelly – 4
Offered very little going forward to support Barnes on the left and was weak in the air when Wimbledon went long. Moved to centre-back in the second half.
Joelinton – 6
Tasked with playing as a sole defensive midfielder and did well as a makeshift midfield orchestrator. Broke up counter-attacks and kept the ball moving but offered little when trying to break down the defence.
Sean Longstaff – 5
This felt like a big opportunity for Longstaff to stake a claim as a starter in midfield but he was sloppy in possession and struggled to create against a well-organised Wimbledon defence. Expect him to return to the bench against Everton.
Joe Willock – 3
Started for the first time since being dragged off at half-time against Fulham but was anonymous in midfield. Newcastle were begging for someone to take the ball and unlock Wimbledon’s defence and Willock failed to step up.
Improved slightly in the second half when given freedom to roam but still struggled to make an impression.
Miguel Almiron – 6
A lively return. Won the penalty on the brink of half-time and had one goal ruled out for offside. Should have scored earlier on after blazing his shot over the bar.
Howe mentioned this will be a “big moment” for Almiron to impress but he didn’t do enough to cause his manager a selection headache.
Harvey Barnes – 5
Came close to scoring with a trademark curling effort but was far too predictable in his final product. Dragged off at half-time in favour of Bruno Guimaraes.
William Osula – 5
Newcastle dominated possession but were unable to find Osula in space. He burst through on goal in the opening few minutes but was starved of the ball afterward.
A difficult evening on what was his first Newcastle appearance.
Substitutes
Odysseas Vlachodimos – 5
A dream debut for a goalkeeper. Had nothing to do in the second half after replacing Dubravka. A welcome clean sheet.
Bruno Guimaraes – 6
Brought on at half-time to add energy and intensity and did just that. Got Newcastle ticking from midfield.
Anthony Gordon – 7
Immediately added more danger on the left after coming off the bench. Created more chances in his first 10 minutes on the pitch than Newcastle did in the entire first half.
Lewis Hall – 6
Followed up his superb display against Manchester City with another solid performance. Sharp link up with Gordon on the left. Almost added another assist after finding Osula late on.
Dan Burn – 5
Brought on in the dying minutes to see out the win.
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