Newcastle United claimed a thrilling three points against Leeds United on Wednesday night, snatching a dramatic 4–3 Premier League victory courtesy of a last-gasp Harvey Barnes winner.

The Magpies twice clawed their way back from losing positions — trailing 1–0, 2–1, and 3–2 — to seal an unforgettable comeback in front of a raucous St James’ Park crowd, underlining the character and attacking quality within Eddie Howe’s side.

Despite the memorable win, the performance was far from flawless, and there were clear concerns for Howe to reflect on — most notably the displays of Malick Thiaw and Nick Pope.

Why Malick Thiaw must be dropped

Even taking Fabian Schär’s late injury into account, Thiaw should not retain his place in the starting XI after a torrid first-half showing.

The former AC Milan centre-back endured a nightmare 45 minutes, losing all six of his duels and failing to register a single tackle or interception, according to Sofascore, as Dominic Calvert-Lewin completely outmuscled him.

Thiaw’s evening went from bad to worse when he slipped in midfield for Leeds’ opening goal, allowing Calvert-Lewin to dispossess him and slip Brenden Aaronson through on goal. Shortly after, the German defender compounded his struggles by leaving his arm extended in the box, conceding the penalty that put Leeds 2–1 ahead.

Unsurprisingly, Howe hooked him at half-time, and such a disastrous display should see Thiaw removed from the starting lineup moving forward.

However, he was not the only Newcastle player whose performance warrants serious scrutiny.

The Newcastle flop who must be benched

Alongside Thiaw, Nick Pope should also be dropped following a worrying showing between the posts.

The England international has started Newcastle’s last three Premier League matches after returning from injury and displacing Aaron Ramsdale, but has conceded four goals across those games.

While Pope could do little about Leeds’ first two goals — Aaronson’s precise finish from distance and Calvert-Lewin’s spot-kick — his second-half display raised major concerns.

Sky Sports commentator Don Goodman described Pope as being “all over the place” after the goalkeeper came for a cross and failed to get close, leaving James Justin with a free header into an open goal — only for the defender to rattle the crossbar.

Moments later, Pope stayed glued to his line rather than narrowing the angle on Aaronson, allowing the American to calmly slot home and make it 3–2.

Statistically, the performance backed up the eye test. Pope conceded 1.16 goals more than expected based on xG and was charged with one error leading to a shot — the Justin chance — per Sofascore.

As the data shows, Pope has now let in more goals than expected across the Premier League season and has made two errors leading to shots or goals. By contrast, Ramsdale is yet to commit a single error in seven league appearances since joining on loan from Southampton.

With that in mind, Howe should hand Ramsdale the gloves for the upcoming FA Cup tie against Bournemouth, with an eye on the League Cup semi-final clash against Manchester City.