Barcelona Player Ratings v Newcastle United: Pedri a light on a gloomy night | OneFootball

Barcelona were taken out of their comfort zone by Newcastle United, but snatched a draw at the death.

Joan Garcia – 7

After one very shaky moment early on, Garcia came up with a magnificent save from Elanga that looked like it would be ruled onside after a VAR check. Came out for crosses relatively well too, and intercepted three or four balls across the box.

Ronald Araujo – 6.5

Added virtually nothing going forward, but stuck to his task well. Araujo was rarely beaten by Harvey Barnes, and the goal itself was unfortunate that he was out of position. Not a sparkling display from Araujo, but in just his second start of 2026, he looked up to the challenge.

Pau Cubarsi – 7.5

Cubarsi continued his good form, getting some crucial blocks in. Even if Will Osula ran away from the backline, Cubarsi always made up the ground, and was reliable.

Gerard Martin – 7.5

Even if it had the appearance that Barcelona were overwhelmed at the back, their defending in the box was, for the most part, quite good. Martin was a major part of that, making a number of key interceptions.

Joao Cancelo – 6.5

Was exploited on a number of occasions in the first half by Anthony Elanga, who he struggled to live with. Yet the Portuguese defender was one of the few players that showed personality on the ball, and was willing to take on passes to progress it forward.

Pedri – 8

Described by some in the Spanish media as ‘the lighthouse’ today, it was easy to see why. Pedri masked countless flaws in the Barcelona performance, slowing down the game down where possible, and winning the ball back on plenty of occasions. The best on the night for Barcelona.

Marc Bernal – 5.5

Did his best in the middle of the pitch, but had his work cut out. Often felt like the ball was flying over his head, and he was turning one way or the other, until he was withdrawn late on.

Lamine Yamal – 6.5

After a good first half, Lamine Yamal faded significantly in the second. His defensive implication was good, but he ended up giving the ball away on a number of occasions in his own half. Stepped up with composure for the equaliser.

Fermin Lopez – 7

Even if he was wasteful on a couple of occasions going forward, with one especially good chance, Fermin Lopez was excellent defensively. Mopped up consistently in midfield, and was one of the few players able to get a foot in on Newcastle players.

Raphinha – 4

Raphinha looked short of confidence all night. Twice he was put into good positions by Lamine Yamal in the first half, and he delayed too long to make anything of them. Beyond that, he consistently gave the ball away, and his usual pressing was ineffective. A tough night for the Brazilian.

Robert Lewandowski – 3.5

His only real opening was a half-chance, but he failed to hit the target. That came just before he was removed, after a real struggle. Lewandowski was unable to hold the ball up, lost almost all of his battles, and generally looked out of place on the pitch.

Substitutes

Dani Olmo – 7.5

Came on for Pedri for the final 20 minutes, and it largely passed him by, but the quality of his decisive action weighs very heavy in such a short period on the pitch. Not only did his move swing the match, it was a brilliant shift to beat Malick Thiaw.

Marcus Rashford – 6

A bit of a struggle for Rashford this time round. He did try to make things happen when he got the ball, but quickly grew frustrated at the quality of service.

Marc Casado – 6

Perhaps we’re a little harsh with Casado at times, because of the players he is up against for his position. Yet his time on the pitch he failed to influence the game.

Ferran Torres – N/A

Fell over the one time he got the ball in position to do something.

Xavi Espart – N/A

In the very few minutes he had, Espart had a couple of nice contributions on his Barcelona debut. Made a block on Joe Willock in the box, and was first to a ball in midfield to win a free-kick in stoppage time.