Newcastle v Bournemouth ratings: Trippier 7, Joelinton 6; Neto 8, Billing 7

Eddie Howe frustrated after more dropped points at St James' Park

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  NEWCASTLE RATINGS: Nick Pope 6 – Flapped at a cross early on and was lucky to see Tavernier head over the bar. From that moment, he looked pretty comfortable. He saved well from Christie and Solanke, and rarely looked troubled. Getty

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  Kieran Trippier 7 – Dangerous as ever from set pieces and his passing was good, but he was sometimes exposed at the other end, leaving space for Bournemouth to attack. He came close to scoring with a trademark free kick, but his effort hit the post. Later, it was from his cross that Newcastle won the penalty that got them back into the game. Getty

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  Fabian Schar 5 – A poor afternoon for the Swiss defender. His best contribution was when he got on the end of a Targett free kick, but he couldn’t convert. Blazed over late on, too. AFP

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  Dan Burn 6 – Was caught out of position once or twice, but seemed to have more touches than anyone. Made an excellent last-ditch tackle to prevent Solanke from getting a shot at goal. Getty

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  Matt Targett 5 – Swung in a dangerous free-kick from which Schar should have done better, but that was as good as it got for the former Aston Villa man. Poor distribution, particularly from free-kicks. PA

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  Bruno Guimaraes 6 – The deep-lying midfielder was quieter than usual, mainly because he had the ball in deeper areas, but he exuded quality on the ball. One such moment was a perfect through ball that set Almiron through on goal. On another occasion, he won a free-kick in dangerous territory. PA

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  Joe Willock 5 – Started strongly and was involved in Newcastle’s attacking moves, but his decision making, particularly in the final third, was poor. Getty

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  Joelinton 6 – Saw a lot of the ball and his attacking runs were a good outlet for the home side. He came close twice, first when his effort cannoned off the bar following a neat lay-off from Fraser, and again when Neto saved the rebound. Was excellent when bringing the ball forward, but tired in the second half. Getty

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  Ryan Fraser 6 – Booed by the opposition fans and playing on the left of the front three, the former Bournemouth man saw a lot of possession, but his final ball wasn’t great throughout. His highlight was a shot that finished just wide of the post. He also contributed a neat little lay-off to set up Joelinton, who thwacked an effort against the bar. Action Images

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  Miguel Almiron 6 – Saw plenty of the ball, linked well with Isak, and on one occasion he fed a lovely ball to Willock in a move that saw Isak fashion a shooting opportunity. He had one effort himself, which was comfortably saved. AFP

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  Alexander Isak 6 – Pulled Newcastle back into the game from the penalty spot with his first goal at St James’s Park. He had little to work with in the way of service or support, but he was always willing to do the dirty work in an effort to win the ball back. Had one header, which didn’t trouble Neto. AFP

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  SUBS: Jacob Murphy (Fraser, 71) N/A – Poor distribution summed up Murphy’s 19-minute cameo. Had a penalty appeal turned down. Getty

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  Sean Longstaff (Guimaraes, 71) N/A – Lacked Guimaraes’ quality on the ball and Newcastle’s creativity, or what there was of it, suffered. Reuters

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  Chris Wood (Almiron, 89) N/A – A late change who didn’t have time to make an impact. Getty

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  BOURNEMOUTH RATINGS: Neto 8 – Went down with cramp early, but recovered to make some fine saves to keep his side in the game. Was beaten twice before the goal, but had the woodwork to thank for protecting his net. Could do little about the penalty, but was the difference between his side getting a point and not. Getty

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  Lewis Cook 7 – Cook has formed a decent pairing with Lerma, and the duo did well to stifle Newcastle’s midfield. AFP

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  Chris Mepham 7 – Classy display from Mepham, who encapsulated Bournemouth’s resilience. Getty

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  Jefferson Lerma 6 – Dropped deeper as the game went on to form something of a five-man defence. Looked solid throughout, but was guilty of handling Trippier’s cross in the build-up to Newcastle’s equaliser. Action Images

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  Dominic Solanke 5 – Had a very quiet first half but sprung to life when he had his first sight of goal, forcing Nick Pope into a save. Was booed for wasting time as he exited the pitch slowly at the death. PA

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  Ryan Christie 6 – Enjoyed plenty of space in the first half and had the first chance of the game but Nick Pope was equal to his deflected effort. Getty

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  Adam Smith 6 – Went about his business effectively and managed to finish the game without picking up a yellow card; he’d earned four in his last games before today. AFP

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  Marcus Tavernier 7 – Headed over in the early stages with the goal at his mercy, and then headed wide when the Cherries crossed again after exposing space behind Tripper on the left. He came close again, this time with a left-footed shot that went just wide of the post. AP

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  Marcos Senesi 6 – With Lloyd Kelly missing, Senesi started his first game since the 9-0 defeat against Liverpool. And though he gave away a free-kick in a dangerous area, which Trippier almost scored, he made the most clearances of any player, with seven. AFP

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  Phillip Billing 7 – Scored a goal and could have had more. He put Bournemouth ahead when he stuck out a leg to convert Zemura’s cross. Earlier, he’d seen a shot blocked after winning the ball from Guimaraes. AFP

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  Jordan Zemura 6 – Sent in a teasing cross in the opening stages, which caught out Nick Pope. He was heavily involved in the goal that gave Bournemouth the lead, the left-back utilising acres of space to cross the ball to Billing. AP

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  SUBS: Jaidon Anthony (Tavernier, 80) N/A – With Tavernier tiring, Anthony came on to add some fresh legs for the last 10 minutes as Newcastle threatened. Reuters

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  Jack Stacey (Christie, 87) N/A – Played just ahead of Smith in the closing stages. AFP

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  Jack Stephens (Billing, 90) N/A – His bite was a positive addition at the death. Getty

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  Kieffer Moore (Solanke, 90) N/A – A late addition as the Cherries looked to waste a bit of time. Reuters

Eddie Howe made no excuses for his side’s below-par performance after Newcastle were forced to settle for a frustrating 1-1 draw against Bournemouth at St James’ Park.

Howe’s first game in management against his former club threatened to turn into a nightmare when Philip Billing fired the Cherries in front in the 62nd minute.

The Magpies had failed to convert their territorial possession into chances but seized a lifeline three minutes later when VAR ruled a handball against Jefferson Lerma allowing Alexander Isak to slot home the equaliser from the penalty spot.

Howe said: “It was disappointing – I thought it was a performance below the levels that we have set ourselves and probably for the first time this season we dipped.

“It’s difficult to know why in this moment – they defended very deep and it was our responsibility to break through them and I just felt we were off a little bit in every aspect of our game.

“It was probably epitomised by the last 20 minutes where we score and it looked like we were set up to win, but our decision-making left us. It was a difficult watch – we could have won the game and it slipped away from us.”

Their draw left the Magpies still searching for their first Premier League win since the opening day of the season, but with a solitary defeat also on their record, Howe will not panic heading into the international break.

Player ratings from the match can be seen in the picture gallery above.