Steve Harper (5) - Hardly had many saves to make but conceded four and can't be happy with that.
Danny Simpson (6) - I thought he struggled in the first half but was our best defender in the second half. Made at least two important last ditch tackles in the second half and was good going forward throughout the match.
Mike Williamson (4.5) - Really struggled to deal with Van Persie and had a poor first half but he was always dangerous on set pieces and earned us the second penalty.Fabricio Coloccini (4) - It was a poor showing from usually our best centre back. He simply could not handle Walcott's pace but got better as the game went on though.
Jose Enrique (5.5) - Could not handle Walcott in the first half but he started to have a bigger influence on the game in the second half and picked up an assist for our second goal. Went forward a lot in the second half.
Joey Barton (7.5) - After a horrible first half he scored two superb penalties and controlled things for us in the second half with his ability to deliver quality set pieces and to get our attacks going.Cheik Tiote (8) - I thought he was our stand out player today. Won several challenges, passed the ball well and scored an absolute stunner to level things at 4-4. Took a while to get going but by the end of the game he wrote his name into Newcastle United folklore.
Kevin Nolan (5) - Unable to add to his goals tally today but he led from the front and along with Barton, he managed to lift the team with his in your face style.Jonas Gutierrez (6) - Put in a good shift and linked up very nicely with Enrique in the second half. I think he sometimes gets unfair criticism as he does do some good things for us down the left.
Peter Lovenkrands (4) - A really disappointing performance from the Dane. Think he'll be dropped for the next game as he was unable to do anything of note.
Leon Best (7) - Does look poor at times but few could argue against his work rate. Scored the crucial second goal and won the all important first penalty which means that he can be effective at this level if given the chance.
Substitutes
Nile Ranger (6.5)- Did very well when coming on and certainly made an impact.
Danny Guthrie (N/A) - Came on in injury time.
Man of the Match - Cheik Tiote
