Gabriel Obertan struck the only goal of the game as Newcastle United beat Leicester City 1-0 to record their first victory of the Premier League season.

The winner came on 71 minutes when Obertan drove the ball into the bottom corner past Kasper Schmeichel as Newcastle's pressure finally paid off.

Leicester never really threatened the comeback that manager Nigel Pearson would have hoped for, and the Magpies held out for a win that eases the scrutiny on Alan Pardew.

Below, Sports Mole determines who can be proud of their performance and who should be made to swim the river Tyne.

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Goal

Tim Krul: Slightly lucky to emerge with a clean sheet after Leicester missed a couple of glorious chances, but stood up well to everything that came his way. (6/10)

Defence

Daryl Janmaat: Decent defensive performance but could have been more adventurous going forward against the questionable Paul Konchesky. (5/10)

Fabricio Coloccini: Spurned a gilt-edged chance in the first half, but did not put a foot wrong defensively. (6/10)

Steven Taylor: Solid enough return to Newcastle's first XI and did well to shackle the ever-dangerous Leonardo Ulloa. (6/10)

Paul Dummett: Did well to combat Marc Albrighton and Richie De Laet but, like Janmaat, could have contributed more offensively. (5/10)

Midfield

Jack Colback: Decent at both ends of the field and might have scored if not for Schmeichel palming away his superbly-struck free kick. (7/10)

Vurnon Anita: Was a late addition to the first XI after Cheick Tiote picked up a knock, but the Ivorian does not have to fear his place in the lineup long term after this display. (5/10)

Moussa Sissoko: Relatively quiet throughout when Newcastle could have done with his explosive energy in midfield. (5/10)

Attack

Gabriel Obertan: His pace tormented Konchesky on a number of occasions, and he struck the goal that might spark an upturn in fortunes for Newcastle. (7/10)

Yoan Gouffran: Industrious performance on the left-hand side of midfield, but not enough moments in an attacking sense to stifle Leicester's rearguard. (5/10)

Papiss Cisse: Lively performance as the Magpies spearhead, but missed an open goal that might have proved costly on another day. (6/10)

Substitutes

Ayoze Perez: Replaced Anita on the hour mark and gave Pardew some food for thought ahead of next week's trip to White Hart Lane. (7/10)

Massadia Haidara: Strengthened Newcastle's defence after being introduced shortly after Obertan's opener. (6/10)

Remy Cabella: Introduced just to eat away the minutes in stoppage time. (5/10)

Goal

Kasper Schmeichel: Might consider himself a bit unfortunate to be on the losing side after making one or two crucial saves. Blameless for the goal. (6/10)

Defence

Richie De Laet: Booked and was not allowed to contribute anything to Leicester's attack. (5/10)

Wes Morgan: Should have stayed on his feet and pressured Obertan more in the lead up to the goal. (5/10)

Liam Moore: One or two crucial blocks, but also booked for conceding a free kick that was almost punished by the hosts. (6/10)

Paul Konchesky: Should have been punished for a slack back pass early in the second half, but Cisse ultimately missed an open goal. (5/10)

Midfield

Esteban Cambiasso: One or two bright moments, but his delivery from set pieces let him and his team down throughout his time on the field. (5/10)

Danny Drinkwater: Little to no impact in Leicester's midfield and missed a late chance by firing straight at Krul. (4/10)

Matty James: Aside from Cisse's open goal, James missed the game's best chance after side-footing straight at Krul with the entire goal to aim at. Costly miss. (4/10)

Marc Albrighton: Struck the bar with a mishit cross, but never really influenced the game on what was his full Leicester City debut. (5/10)

Jeff Schlupp: Lasted only 56 minutes after arriving back late from international duty. Should not have started. (4/10)

Attack

Leonardo Ulloa: Isolated once more as Leicester's go-to-guy yet again failed to have an impact. Managers are growing wise to his tricks. (5/10)

Substitutes

David Nugent: Vastly experienced, but even he had no answers for the questions asked by Newcastle's defence. Ineffective. (4/10)

Jamie Vardy: Replaced Albrighton on 56 minutes, but ran into the same issues as his predecessor. Also ineffective. (4/10)

Anthony Knockaert : Replaced Cambiasso on 80 minutes as Leicester planned a gung-ho approach, but never got into the game. (4/10)

Written by
Shane Callaghan