Player ratings: Newcastle slump to Carabao Cup exit at Everton

Newcastle's Carabao Cup run came to an end on Thursday night with a 3-1 defeat away at Everton, and the player ratings from across the press make for grim reading.

The Northern Echo reports that the Magpies are "out of the Carabao Cup after a 3-1 defeat" and gave goalkeeper Hornicek a relatively sympathetic 6, saying he was "let down by those in front" and "helpless for the goals" (Northern Echo).

Newcastle World takes a far harsher view of the display, handing out a 2/10 for what it calls a "total mess" and a 3/10 described as "abysmal" as the Toon slipped to defeat in the last 16 (Newcastle World).

The Shields Gazette echoes that bleak assessment, also awarding a 2/10 for a performance labelled a "disasterclass" alongside a 3/10 branded "dreadful" in the loss to the Toffees (Shields Gazette). The two outlets are clearly singling out similarly poor individual showings, even if the exact wording differs slightly, while the Northern Echo's more forgiving view of the goalkeeper stands out against the overall tone elsewhere.

Between the three reports there's a clear consensus: this was a night to forget for Newcastle, with the cup exit laying bare some underwhelming individual performances up and down the pitch. The agreement across the ratings suggests fans shouldn't expect much nuance in the inquest - this was widely seen as one of the poorer collective efforts of the season.

Attention will now turn quickly to the Premier League, with Newcastle due to host the very same Everton side again on Monday 2 November. It gives the squad a swift chance to put this cup disappointment behind them and respond on home soil at St James' Park.

Written with the help of AI, using the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.