We asked Mark Jankowski to give us his match ratings and player commentary after Newcastle 2 Fulham 1.
Pope 7
Nick Pope didn’t have much to do in goal today and there wasn’t much he could have done to save Fulham’s goal.
He distributed the ball well again with his throws and was not really under pressure with his kicks.
Trippier 7
Trippier was sometimes sloppy with his passing, especially in the first half.
However, as the second half progressed, his experience was invaluable, not only in our defensive play but also in our attacking play.
Thiaw 7
I was tempted to give Thiaw an extra point higher. but I couldn’t really distinguish him from the other members of the backline, and I don’t think the overall team performance warranted a score higher than a seven.
However, he continues to go from strength to strength and it looks like he might have been one of the best signings of 2025.
Botman 7
Botman continues to show the class we all knew he possessed.
Unfortunately he had to leave the field today due to a head injury, but I am sure he will recover quickly and be back in action soon.
I hope he isn’t away for too long as the partnership he has formed with Thiaw looks like it could be one of the strongest in the league.
Burn 7
I was really worried about Dan Burn against Adama Traore today.
However, the man from Blyth continues to show what a top player he is.
Traore managed to skip the wing at times, but in reality Dan Burn played it very well and Traore left the field having created very little in the second half.
Bruno 8
Bruno always seems to rise to the occasion when needed and today was no different.
At times he grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and showed some classy touches with the ability to distance himself from Fulham’s aggressive press.
Halfway through the second half he missed an absolute header. However, he made up for this with a cool-headed winner.
Miley 6
Young Lewis Miley didn’t quite reach the midweek highs.
However, it was quite a performance from the young man.
He, like many of his teammates, was guilty of giving the ball away cheaply on occasion. One incident in the first half almost allowed Smith-Rowe to score.
Joelinton
It was a game of two halves for the big Brazilian.
In the first half he seemed to be a little off the pace. However, he was invaluable in the second half in transforming Newcastle’s fortunes and after Sandro Tonali was introduced. Joelinton shone with his ability to shield the ball and get Newcastle up the field.
He drove hard in stoppage time in the second half; we need more performances like that from Big Joe.
Murphy 6
If he hadn’t scored the goal, I probably would have rated Jacob Murphy even lower for today’s performance.
It was a very strange display from the fan favorite. He threw some really good shots in the first fifteen minutes, scored a goal not long after and blew one on one later in the first half.
However, he didn’t seem to be on the same page as his teammates for much of the match, often not finding the space where he could have and giving the ball away cheaply.
Woltemade 5
It was by far Nick’s quietest performance of the season so far, and considering the heights he’s reached in the short time he’s been on Tyneside, you can forgive him for a quieter day at the office.
That said, he had an excellent opportunity to put Newcastle ahead in the opening minutes. Unfortunately he crashed a shot into the post.
Fulham’s physical duo of Bassey and Diop were able to outwit the German for much of the match, much encouraged by a poor refereeing performance that allowed them to get away with murder.
Gordon 6
A much quieter afternoon from the England international after his stellar performance in midweek.
I’m still not sure if Gordon alone is responsible for a quieter day, or how much we have to watch as teammates because we failed to get him the ball in the right positions?
He worked hard to help Dan Burn cope with Fulham’s pace for most of the match and managed to get his defender booked early on. He also almost scored an assist, but unfortunately Bruno couldn’t put his header on target.
Subs
Group 6
It was good to see the Swiss back on the field after dropping out due to his head injury and the top performances of Thiaw and Botman.
Did what he had to do well and demonstrated some of the long balls we missed.
Tonali 7
Sandro started a second game from the substitutes’ bench but was rightly introduced to change the game after Fulham scored the goal.
In addition to Lewis Miley playing during the week, Tonali is a world-class midfielder and showed his quality immediately after entering the fray.
Barnes 7
Harley Barnes really is a different player once he gets some confidence in scoring a few goals.
Initially introduced on the right side. It wasn’t long before he moved to the left to replace the tiring Anthony Gordon.
He was aggressive and direct in his running and almost got a ball perfectly on the edge of the penalty area. However, his teammate took the ball off his toes.
The garden
Our summer signing had a few bad passes after the introduction.
However, his pace down the right helped turn the tide in our favor as the second half progressed.
Sessengnon immediately looked uncomfortable after Elanga’s introduction and he overcame a series of errors to create some decent openings in his short time on the pitch.
Osula 7
Young Will Osula was introduced late in the game to help us get a winner and delivered exactly what was asked of him.
His relentless pressure on the Fulham backline caused them to make the mistake that set up our attack for the winning goal, with Osula himself having the shot that was parried into Bruno’s path.
It may have been a short performance, but without him we wouldn’t have won the game today.
Newcastle 2 Fulham 1 – Saturday 25 October 2025 3pm
(Statistics via BBC Sports)
Goals:
Newcastle United:
Murphy 18, Bruno 90
Fulham:
Luke 56
Possess was Newcastle 51% Fulham 49%
Total shots were Newcastle 18 Fulham 12
Shots on target were Newcastle 7 Fulham 5
Corners were Newcastle 4 Fulham 3
Touches in the box Newcastle36Fulham25
Pope, Trippier, Thiaw, Botman (Schar 61), Burn, Bruno, Joelinton, Miley (Tonali 61), Gordon (Elanga 76), Woltemade (Osula 86), Murphy (Barnes 61)
subtitles:
Ramsdale, Krafth, Willock, Ramsey
(BBC Sport comments from ‘neutrals’ – Interesting on Newcastle United after 2-1 win over Fulham – Read HERE)
(Newcastle 2 Fulham 1 – Instant Newcastle United fan/writer reaction – Read HERE)
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