Newcastle got through a far shakier Carabao Cup night than the scoreline suggests, and the ratings matched that split. Amar Dedić was handed a perfect 10 by ChronicleLive after a rock-solid display with two assists, while Harvey Barnes came off the bench at half-time and turned the tie with a 9/10 of his own.

Lewis Hall's 6/10 sat at the other end of the scale after he conceded a second penalty in a few days. That was the sort of night it was, one where the sharpest individual display, the biggest attacking shift and the main defensive blot all came from different places.

Dedić and Barnes set the standard

ChronicleLive's match reporter called Dedić man of the match and gave him 10/10, a fair reflection of a full-back performance that also produced two assists. For Newcastle, that is the cleanest individual headline from the night.

Barnes got a 9/10 after replacing Bazoumana Touré at half-time, and the substitution worked. Sky Sports reported that Isaac Price had put West Brom ahead with a free-kick in the 19th minute, before Bazoumana Touré levelled on 38 minutes on his debut. Barnes then scored on 48 minutes and again on 81 minutes to settle it.

His season numbers make the outing stand out even more. Barnes had only one appearance going into this tie, so a brace off the bench is exactly the kind of return Newcastle needed from a player who has not had much of a run yet.

Hall's penalty issue and West Brom's fight

Hall's 6/10 was tied to another penalty concession, and ChronicleLive were right to mark that down. He has only one appearance this season, but the more immediate point is that the defensive lapse came in a cup tie that was still live when Newcastle needed calm.

There was also a small debate around Touré's equaliser. Sky Sports credited it to the Newcastle forward on debut, while ChronicleLive noted the final touch uncertainty and suggested Chris Mepham may have had the last contact. The goal still stood as the moment Newcastle were forced to respond after Price's opener.

The bigger picture from the ratings is that Newcastle were rescued by their best attacking sub and carried by Dedić at the back and going forward. Barnes may have stolen the scoring spotlight, but Dedić was the standout on the night and Hall was the one who left the deepest mark in the wrong direction.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →