Birmingham 2 Newcastle 3 – Interesting independent ratings on Newcastle United players

The Mag

·8 February 2025

Birmingham 2 Newcastle 3 – Interesting independent ratings on Newcastle United players

It ended Birmingham 2 Newcastle 3.

A shock at the start as the home side scored within a minute.

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A much changed United team showing great character though, fighting back to lead 2-1 by the 26th minute mark.

Willock and Wilson with the goals, only for Iwata to strike a powerful shot into the top corner five minutes before half-time.

Newcastle by far the better team after the break and Willock winning it with his second goal.

The referee absolutely woeful, some shocking ‘challenges’ from Birmingham. How on earth they finished with eleven men is unbelievable. We aren’t talking about tough challenges, instead there were some simply cynical incidents where home players took out an opponent long after the ball had gone.

Looking at the individuals in black and white, interesting to get an independent perspective on how this played out.

‘Whoscored ratings use data from every single Premier League match, over 200 raw statistics included in the automated calculation of a player’s rating, weighted according to their influence within the game.

Every event of importance is taken into account, with a positive or negative effect on ratings weighted in relation to its area on the pitch and its outcome.’

Now whoscored have published their independent player ratings for this Birmingham 2 Newcastle 3 match:

As you can see, six players received a rating of 7.0 or more, with three of them playing for NUFC.

Joe Willock (8.7) rated man of the match, two goals and a very good overall performance.

Will Osula (8.1) rated Newcastle’s next best, especially good out wide on the right. The left-back must have fouled him at least six times and not a booking, yet a yellow card for Osula when he did nothing wrong.

Callum Wilson (7.6) very good as well on his return to the starting eleven, scored one and led the line well.

Birmingham 2 Newcastle 3 – Saturday 8 February 2025 5.45pm

(Stats via BBC Sport)

Newcastle United:

Willock 21, 82 Wilson 26

Birmingham:

Laird 1, Iwata 40

(Half-time stats in brackets)

Possession was Newcastle 63% (63%) Birmingham 37% (37%)

Total shots were Newcastle 16 (7) Birmingham 11 (6)

Shots on target were Newcastle 9 (5) Birmingham 6 (5)

Corners were Newcastle 3 (1) Birmingham 3 (1)