Newcastle United won for the first time in 2015 courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Hull City at the KC Stadium this afternoon.
In what was John Carver's first match since being appointed as manager until the end of the season, the Magpies broke the deadlock through Remy Cabella before Sammy Ameobi and Yoann Gouffran added second-half strikes to seal the points.
Here, Sports Mole looks at who stood out during a miserable afternoon for the home side.
© Getty Images
HULL
Goal
Alan McGregor: Was at fault for the second goal as his poor positioning and slow reactions prevented him from keeping out Ameobi's long-range effort. Could do nothing about the other two goals, though. (5/10)
Defence
Ahmed Elmohamady: There were echoes of Maradona in Elmohamady's play today, but not in a good way. He thought he had got away with punching the ball into the net on the stroke of half time, only for the infringement to be flagged by the linesman. He did put some good crosses into the box and was a threat when going forward, but that influence faded as the match wore on. (5/10)
Michael Dawson: Found it difficult up against the movement of Cabella and Perez at times, but stuck to his task and put in a solid performance despite conceding three goals. (6/10)
Curtis Davies: Came closest to scoring with a header that was blocked on the line, but perhaps could have done better with his effort. May also feel that he should have closed Cabella down quicker for the opening goal. (5/10)
Andy Robertson: Looked superb going forward in the first half, always providing an outlet and looking like his side's most dangerous player. However, he was found lacking defensively on a number of occasions and crucially gave the ball away to gift Newcastle the opening goal. (4/10)
Midfield
David Meyler: Was taken off early in the second half following an ineffectual performance that saw him give the ball away too often for Steve Bruce's liking. (5/10)
Tom Huddlestone: Another below-par showing from the midfielder, who is failing to influence games like we know he can. Had very little joy in the middle of the park and barely got forward to provide support for the attackers at all. (5/10)
Jake Livermore: A little better than Huddlestone, but not by much. Was quiet for much of the game until he was ludicrously booked for a challenge that saw him take all of the ball and none of the man. (6/10)
Gaston Ramirez: Arguably Hull's most dangerous player on the day, although that isn't saying much. He provided glimpses of being able to change the course of the match but was thwarted by Krul in his only clear opening. (6/10)
Attack
Nikica Jelavic: Battled away up front but was given very little service to work with. A thankless task was summed up when he couldn't react in time to tap the ball into an empty net from a couple of yards out. (6/10)
Abel Hernandez: Anonymous for long periods on his return from injury. Failed to have an impact in the final third and was eventually taken off with more than 20 minutes remaining. (5/10)
Substitutes
Sone Aluko: Provided a bit of pace that had been lacking from Hull's game following his introduction 10 minutes into the second half. Looked like a bright spark but could ultimately not make a difference. (6/10)
Tom Ince: Replaced Hernandez with a little over 20 minutes remaining but did not change the course of the game during a quiet cameo. (6/10)
Robbie Brady: Swung in a few dangerous deliveries during his time on the field but didn't have much of an impact from open play. (6/10)
© Getty Images
NEWCASTLE
Goal
Tim Krul: Pulled off a fine save to help keep out Davies in the first half and went on to clinch a rare clean sheet for the Magpies. (7/10)
Defence
Daryl Janmaat: Was given a few tricky moments by Robertson in the first half, but responded by causing the Hull left-back even greater problems at the other end of the field. (7/10)
Mike Williamson: Did a good job of keeping Hull's returning strikers quiet throughout. Newcastle were rarely threatened today and in the end kept a clean sheet fairly comfortably. (7/10)
Fabricio Coloccini: Was only saved from scoring an own goal for the ages by Anita's clearance off the line and had another nervy moment shortly afterwards. All in all, an unconvincing performance despite the clean sheet. (6/10)
Massimo Haidara: Nullified the considerable threat of Elmohamady more often than not and enjoyed a very solid game at left-back. Nothing spectacular, but barely put a foot wrong. (7/10)
Midfield
Vurnon Anita: Spared his captain's blushes with a clearance off the line to prevent a comical own goal. Protected his defence very well and played a key part in helping his side to a comfortable victory. (7/10)
Jack Colback: A little less involved than Anita, but still carried out an important role in midfield. Didn't get forward as much as he might have liked, though. (6/10)
Remy Cabella: Began to look more and more dangerous as the first half progressed and got the opening goal five minutes before the break. Looked a threat whenever he got on the ball and Hull would have been happy to see him depart with 20 minutes remaining. (8/10)
Moussa Sissoko: Uncharacteristically quiet in a Newcastle win, but still put in a decent performance to help his side maintain control from midfield. (6/10)
Sammy Ameobi: Doubled his side's lead with a good long-range effort that got the better of McGregor. Always seemed to carry a threat when he got on the ball. (7/10)
Attack
Ayoze Perez: Ran tirelessly all game and didn't give Dawson or Davies a moment of rest. Probably deserved a goal for his efforts but will still be pleased with his performance. (7/10)
Substitutes
Yoann Gouffran: Capped his cameo with a fine solo effort, although there was no small element of luck about the finish as it deflected over the keeper and in. (7/10)
Papiss Cisse: Came on for the final 10 minutes or so and, while he showed a couple of nice touches here and there, failed to impact the game substantially. (6/10)
Mehdi Abeid: Had a matter of seconds on the field as Newcastle wound the clock down. (6/10)
Barney Corkhill
