While many were eagerly awaiting Manchester City’s clash with Liverpool later on Sunday, those inside St James’ Park and watching from home were treated to a thrilling match as Newcastle United faced off against Nottingham Forest in a captivating contest.
In the end, the Magpies secured a 4-3 victory, with a flurry of late first-half goals helping them claim the narrow Premier League win. However, Nuno Espirito Santo’s determined Forest side fought until the final whistle in a bid to share the spoils.
Alexander Isak took the spotlight for Eddie Howe’s team with a brace in the thrilling encounter. While the attackers delivered a performance to be proud of, the same couldn’t be said for the defense, particularly Nick Pope, who had a shaky showing in goal.
Pope’s performance in numbers vs Forest:
Coming off the back of conceding four against Manchester City, Pope had another forgettable afternoon against Forest. Within just six minutes, the former Burnley keeper was fishing the ball out of the net after a sloppy pass from Jacob Murphy allowed Callum Hudson-Odoi to strike.
Fortunately for Pope, the Magpies’ comeback overshadowed his early mistake, but he was caught flat-footed when Nikola Milenković scored Forest’s second and again when Ryan Yates added a late goal.
Pope ended the game with just two saves, raising concerns about his current form as Howe’s first-choice goalkeeper.
Not the only player with concerns, another first-team regular had a mixed performance, showing promise in the first half but struggling in the second.
The 6/10 Newcastle man now on borrowed time:
Howe will be relieved to have secured the win, breaking a two-match losing streak in the Premier League. However, individual performances, especially in the second half, will need addressing, with Dan Burn’s poor display standing out.
Burn was solid in the first half, impressing aerially with six duels won, but his performance quickly declined. The 32-year-old was particularly careless with the ball, losing possession 12 times as Forest mounted their comeback.
Burn’s last five PL games in numbers:
As seen in the table above, Burn has been part of a defense that has conceded 14 goals in his last five Premier League matches, with the three goals conceded against Forest continuing this worrying trend.
Burn received a low 6/10 rating from Shields Gazette journalist Dominic Scurr, who noted that Burn was “guilty” of several errors. It will be interesting to see whether the long-serving defender will keep his place for Newcastle’s next match away at Liverpool.
Although Burn remains a key figure at St James’ Park, it’s becoming clear that his best years may be behind him.
He was as bad as Pope: 6/10 Newcastle star should now be on borrowed time under Howe
