Calvert-Lewin stars but Botman struggles - player ratings for Leeds v Newcastle — SkimNews
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- Leeds United beat Newcastle United 4-1 at Elland Road, climbing to third in the Premier League table after a "relentless display" that set the tone inside 32 seconds.
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin earned a 9/10 rating, scoring once with a trademark header and again with a calm finish; the source notes he now has 8 career goals against Newcastle — more than against any other opponent.
- Newcastle's central defence collapsed: Sven Botman and captain Malick Thiaw both received 3/10 ratings, with the source citing their inability to cope with Calvert-Lewin's movement and direct defeats for goals two, three and four.
- Matias Fernandez-Pardo made his full Newcastle debut following a £51.4m summer move from Lille, but was rated 4/10 as Newcastle repeatedly resorted to long balls forward.
- Noah Okafor (8/10) and Ao Tanaka (7/10) also scored — Okafor coolly set up Tanaka's deflected opener before firing Leeds' fourth himself, while James Trafford kept a clean sheet against his "former suitors" with a key save to deny Harvey Barnes.
- Bazoumana Toure came off the bench to pull a consolation goal back for Newcastle, the source calling it a "bright cameo" that pushes his case for a first league start.
Why it matters: The win vaults Leeds above several more fancied sides into the Premier League's top three and validates the tactical system in which James Justin has become "a key component." For Newcastle, conceding four while fielding a £51.4m debutant exposes a defensive fragility — Botman and Thiaw's combined 6/20 — that threatens to derail early-season ambitions and intensifies scrutiny on Eddie Howe's centre-back options.
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