Newcastle United’s players were rated at halftime against Rayo Vallecano as “hot and cold” (5/10) and “effective.”

Eddie Howe named a strong Newcastle line-up to face the La Liga side on Saturday afternoon with Nick Pope and Kieran Trippier starting after returning from the World Cup with England.

And it took the hosts just four minutes to find a breakthrough as Kieran Trippier’s cross wasn’t properly cleared Jacob Murphy picked up the loose ball to find Sean Longstaff to smash Newcastle ahead from a tight angle.

Here are the half-time player ratings from the match so far…

1. Nick Pope – 7

Made a good save to deny Gomez early on. Showing no signs of rustiness after a lack of an action at the World Cup in Qatar.

2. Kieran Trippier – 7

His first foray forward led to Newcastle’s opening goal. Continues to be a great outlet for Newcastle down the right side.

3. Jamaal Lascelles – 7

Made a good defensive header early on and timed his tackles well.

4. Sven Botman – 6

Had a shaky moment dealing with a bouncing ball in the box early on but was rarely troubled after.