PSG are SLAMMED by L'Equipe after they needed a contentious late penalty to draw with Newcastle as Kylian Mbappe is top rated with just 6 out of 10... and Nick Pope is described as 'the big man of the evening'

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PSG needed a 98th-minute Kylian Mbappe penalty to draw with Newcastle
French newspaper L'Equipe didn't spare the Parisians with their ratings
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By Adam Shergold for MailOnline

Published: 09:03 GMT, 29 November 2023 | Updated: 16:55 GMT, 29 November 2023

Paris Saint-Germain's players have been savaged by L'Equipe after they required a last-gasp penalty to draw with Newcastle United in the Champions League.

The French newspaper's ratings can be on the harsh side but the PSG team averaged just 4.5 out of 10, with Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele the highest scorers with 6.

Mbappe converted a hugely contentious penalty in the 98th-minute after Newcastle defender Tino Livramento was adjudged by VAR to have handled the ball when blocking a cross.

Alexander Isak had earlier given Newcastle the lead and they mounted a terrific rearguard action to keep the Parisians at bay.

The result left Eddie Howe's side third in Group F, two points behind PSG in second, and they now need to beat AC Milan at St James' Park on matchday six and hope PSG don't beat Borussia Dortmund.

Kylian Mbappe top scored for Paris Saint-Germain in L'Equipe's ratings - but only managed 6/10 despite his late penalty to salvage them a draw against Newcastle United

Newcastle keeper Nick Pope received the highest score (8/10) after making several big saves

The player ratings in L'Equipe averaged out at just 4.5 for PSG and 5.7 for Newcastle

PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma received the lowest L'Equipe rating - just three - and was criticised for almost giving a 'very expensive' early goal away with a sloppy pass.

Six players received a rating of four, with Randal Kolo Muani's contribution when in possession described as 'clumsy' and his three touches inside Newcastle box 'insufficient'.

Mbappe's contribution was described by L'Equipe as a 'struggle' in the first-half but improved into a performance 'full of anger' in the second when 'he never stopped believing in it and drove the dynamic.'

The paper wasn't exactly impressed by coach Luis Enrique's tactics, handing him a meagre three out of 10 and suggesting his decision to start Danilo Pereira and Lee Kang-In backfired.

Newcastle did fare better in the ratings following their battling performance at the Parc des Princes.

Their scores averaged out at 5.7, with goalkeeper Nick Pope rated the stand-out player with eight out of 10 after a string of crucial saves.

The England stopper was described as 'the big man of the evening' and 'it took a late penalty to beat him' after he denied Mbappe and Dembele twice apiece in big moments.

PSG's Randal Kolo Muani and Newcastle's Joelinton battle for the ball at Parc des Princes

Newcastle were heartbroken in Paris as they left with a 1-1 draw after a controversial penalty

Kylian Mbappe's calmly dispatched effort ensured the hosts snatch a point that keeps their Champions League hopes in their own hands

Debate will rage over whether Tino Livramento should have been penalised for a handball after it ricocheted off his chest first

There was praise for Bruno Guimaraes, who scored seven, after he 'triggered the pressing' and 'bossed the game when on the ball.'

By contrast, youngster Lewis Miley received just four out of 10, and Livramento ended up with a score of just five coloured by the late penalty concession.

His match was described as 'astonishing' and the penalty award was deemed 'harsh'.

There was a balanced appraisal of Howe, who scored six, taking into consideration the superb effort from a depleted team but also the fact PSG couldn't make much of 31 shots on goal.