Jeff Hendrick 3, Miguel Almiron 8; Janik Bednarek 4, Takumi Minamino 8: Newcastle United v Southampton player ratings

Magpies seal three points despite finishing game with nine men

NEWCASTLE RATINGS: Karl Darlow - 8: Good stop from Ings in first half and had no chance with Minamino’s blockbusting finish or Ward-Prowse’s wonderful free-kick. Helped keep Southampton at bay after Hendrick sending off and Schar injury that left Newcastle with nine men. Booked for time-wasting. AP

Javier Manquillo - 7: First of the Magpies's injury blows when the Spanish full-back turned his ankle after 20 minutes and limped off. Had started the game well. Getty

Isaac Hayden - 8: Back at centre-half, after also playing at full-back and in his usual midfield role in last few weeks, and was well beaten by lovely Minamino touch ahead of first Saints’ goal. At the heart of Newcastle’s defensive rear-guard action in second half. PA

Fabian Schar - 7: Became part of an increasingly desperate defensive effort after Newcastle went down to 10 men, was then carried off after nasty looking injury picked up taking shot at Saints’ goal with 15 minutes left to leave Newcastle two-men down having used all their subs. Getty

Jamal Lewis - 7: Worked really well with Saint-Maximin down left in first half but Newcastle disappeared as an attacking threat after break and Lewis joined the desperate battle to hold on to three points. Getty

Jeff Hendrick - 3: Early booking for foul on Minamino and saw red for stupid pull back on same player just one minute after Ward-Prowse had made it 3-2 at start of second half. Woeful decision-making by the midfielder that left teammates in the mire. PA

Jonjo Shelvey - 6: Put Wilson through on goal only for offside flag to rule out goal after eight minutes and sprayed one beautiful ball with outside of his right boot to put Wilson on the attack in first half. Missed glorious chance to give Newcastle three-goal advantage just after break. Some wild and desperate clearances towards the end. Getty

Joe Willock - 8: Loan signing from Arsenal, making his Magpies debut, teed-up Wilson with nice cushion header in first 10 minutes. Confident low finish after quarter-of-an-hour following great work by Saint-Maximin. Denied second when McCarthy saved shot drifting towards top corner. Great cut back to Shelvey just after half-time that should have seen teammate make it 4-1. A memorable first game in black and white. AFP

Allan Saint-Maximin - 8: His first start since November 21, French attacker was an immediate threat driving forward. Was no surprise when he set-up opening goal with excellent run and cross. Another good run and pass to supply Almiron for second. Taken off with 25 minutes left looking shattered as the pitch became increasingly waterlogged in the rain and Newcastle brought an extra defender. AFP

Miguel Almiron - 7: Awarded second goal despite his low shot taking huge deflection off Bednarek but no doubt with his second - a fine finish to make it 3-1 after dispossessing Bertrand. Covered more ground than any other Newcastle player (11.29km). Enjoys theatrically hitting the deck and screaming loudly after even minor fouls, which can get a bit tiresome. AP

Callum Wilson - 7: Couple of chances in first 10 minutes, one completely miss-hit volley after being set-up by Willock then fine finish into bottom corner that was ruled out for offside. Hammer blow for Newcastle when top scorer also limped off in first half and Magpies manager Steve Bruce will be desperately hoping it isn't serious. Getty

SUBS: Emil Krafth – (On for Manquillo 24’) 7: Early introduction after Manquillo injury. Booked for foul on Bertrand after making hash of sliding tackle before half-time. Some excellent tackles in face of second-half Saints’ onslaught. AP

Joelinton – (On for Wilson 36’) 5: A stark reminder how important Wilson is when the reliably ineffectual Brazilian was brought on. At least put in a bit of a shift after coming on here. Getty

Paul Dummett – (On for Saint-Maximin 67’) 7: Extra defender brought on as Southampton laid siege to Newcastle goal and helped his side hold on for three points. Getty

SOUTHAMPTON RATINGS: Alex McCarthy - 5: Conceded nine against Manchester United on Tuesday and his woes continued here letting in another three. No chance with first or second, but culpable for third goal when his awful pass out put Bertrand in desperate trouble. AFP

Jack Stephens - 6: Found going tough in first half against pace of Saint-Maximin in unaccustomed right-back role. Pressure eased after break with Saints in charge and the Frenchman tiring. AFP

Jannik Vestergaard - 8: A rock at the back for Southmapton, unlike his defensive partner Bednarek. Nearly made it 3-3 but saw header saved by Darlow. Life was made easier when Joelinton replaced Wilson. AFP

Janik Bednarek - 4: Polish defender, who had his red card in the United debacle overturned, was ominously skinned by Saint-Maximin in first few minutes, then left for dead again by Frenchman in run-up to opening goal. Lucky not to be awarded an own-goal when Almiron’s shot went in off his heel. Booked for foul on Almiron in second half. Getty

Ryan Bertrand - 6: Lovely little ball through to Minamino for debutant’s goal but blazed chance well over bar after being set-up by Ward-Prowse just before break. Dispossessed by Almiron for Newcastle’s third, although had been dropped in it by his goalkeeper. Getty

James Ward-Prowse - 7: Little opportunity to test out his dead-ball skills until just after break when a trademark inch-perfect free-kick sailed into the Newcastle net to make it 3-2. Frighteningly consistent from that sort of distance. Getty

Oriol Romeu - 7: Spaniard back in starting line-up following injury and tough-tackling midfielder drove Southampton forward in second half. AP

Takumi Minamino - 8: The loan signing from Liverpool was another player who enjoyed a debut goal after his superb first touch and thunderbolt finish pulled it back to 2-1. Impressive start for Saints. Reuters

Nathan Redmond - 7: Lots of surging runs and a constant threat when in possession as Saints poured forward in second half. Frustrated by Almiron's theatrics at times. PA

Che Adams - 7: Thought he had won early penalty but teammate Ings had been flagged offside before challenge. Had ball in net to make it 3-3, only to be denied by lineman’s flag. Links-up so well with Ings up front but needs more goals. PA

Danny Ings - 7: Denied first-half leveller when striker took a touch too many before firing shot straight at Darlow. Unbelievable bad luck when shot on hour mark hit inside of post and flew straight into the grateful Darlow’s arms. Must be wondering how he didn't score in second half. AFP

SUBS: Dan N'Lundulu – (On for Stephens 81’) N/A. AFP

Newcastle United manager  Steve Bruce admitted his job came with a health warning after watching his nine men hang on to beat Southampton.

The 60-year-old, who has been under intense pressure after a run of one win in 13 games in all competitions, saw the Magpies scrap their way to a 3-2 victory despite losing midfielder Jeff Hendrick to a red card and defender Fabian Schar to injury with all three substitutes having been used.

Asked about his emotions during an eventful afternoon, Bruce said: "A mate of mine said when I took the job that it came with a health hazard.

"The two minutes just after half-time summed it up, where we could have gone 4-1 up and looked very, very rosy indeed. Instead within a minute, it's 3-2 and we're down to 10 men. The last half an hour is awful, to be brutally honest."

Newcastle scored three in the first half of a top-flight match for the first time since 2015 to lead 3-1 at the break, with Miguel Almiron netting twice after the opener from Joe Willock on his debut.

Takumi Minamino, another player making his debut after a deadline-day move, replied for Southampton for 2-1, and the visitors pulled it back to a one-goal deficit again when James Ward-Prowse scored off a stunning 30-metre free-kick just after half-time.

Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, whose team had lost 9-0 at Manchester United on Tuesday, said: "It's easy to sum up – defensively not good enough for the Premier League, again."