Newcastle United are still searching for their first league win under Steve McClaren after they fell to a 1-0 defeat at home to Arsenal this afternoon.

The Magpies survived an early penalty shout for the visitors but then saw their chances take a major blow when Aleksandar Mitrovic was shown a straight red card after just 16 minutes.

Arsenal made hard work of finding a way through, but they finally got the decisive goal seven minutes after the interval when Fabricio Coloccini inadvertently deflected Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's shot into his own net.

Here, Sports Mole looks at who stood out in an ill-tempered match at St James' Park.

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NEWCASTLE

Goal

Tim Krul: Didn't deserve to end up on the losing side. Made a string of good saves to keep Arsenal at bay and could do nothing about the goal that clinched it. (7/10)

Defence

Daryl Janmaat: Severely limited the influence of Sanchez, which not many people have been able to do since his arrival in the Premier League. (7/10)

Chancel Mbemba: Played his part in an admirable rearguard action for Newcastle. Picked up a booking along the way, but he certainly wasn't alone in that respect. (7/10)

Fabricio Coloccini: Desperately unlucky to see Oxlade-Chamberlain's shot deflect off his leg and in. Had another towering game at centre-back aside from that, throwing his body in the way of everything. (7/10)

Massadio Haidara: Didn't get any chance to venture forward, but was part of a stout defensive performance from the hosts. (7/10)

Midfield

Vurnon Anita: Gave his back four some valuable and much-needed protection, although Newcastle were so deep that he was often alongside them. (7/10)

Jack Colback: Quick to close down the opposition and apply pressure on the ball, particularly in the opening stages. Another who contributed in no small part to Newcastle's defensive display. (7/10)

Moussa Sissoko: Provided a good outlet for Newcastle to break forward following Mitrovic's dismissal. His influence in the final third was understandably limited, but his powerful running at least took some pressure off. (7/10)

Georginio Wijnaldum: Another who was forced to focus on his defensive duties more than he might have liked. Gave everything for the cause, but struggled to really influence the game. (6/10)

Florian Thauvin: Not exactly the type of game in which a player like him would shine, but he did show glimpses that will excite Newcastle fans. (6/10)

Attack

Aleksandar Mitrovic: Sent off in the 16th minute, which effectively ended any hopes Newcastle might have had of winning the game. There didn't appear to be any malice in his challenge on Coquelin, but the studs were up. (4/10)

Substitutes

Ayoze Perez: Brought on with just under 20 minutes remaining to pose more of a threat in the final third, but didn't really manage that. (6/10)

Papiss Cisse: Another introduced as Newcastle went in search of an equaliser but, like Perez, didn't get a chance to pull his side back level. (6/10)

Siem de Jong: Came on with just three minutes remaining and didn't have enough time to make an impact. (6/10)

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ARSENAL

Goal

Petr Cech: Did not have a shot on target to face all day. A far cry from his match-saving performance against Liverpool. (6/10)

Defence

Hector Bellerin: Broke forward brightly and should have got a penalty when he was tripped by Thauvin. Nothing to do defensively. (7/10)

Gabriel Paulista: Enjoyed as easy a match as he could hope to have in the Premier League, with Newcastle fully focused on defending. (6/10)

Laurent Koscielny: Had about as much to do today as he did when sat in the stands during the Liverpool game on Monday. (6/10)

Nacho Monreal: Probably the most tested of the back four due to Sissoko's running, but always looked relatively comfortable both defensively and going forward. (6/10)

Midfield

Francis Coquelin: On the wrong end of a number of nasty challenges, including the one that saw Mitrovic sent off. Provided a steady base for those in front of him. (7/10)

Santi Cazorla: Pulled most of the strings from his deep-lying playmaker role as Arsenal dominated possession, although the killer pass was lacking. (7/10)

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: Forced the winning goal with his shot that was deflected in by Coloccini. May not have done quite enough to keep Ozil out of the team, though. (7/10)

Aaron Ramsey: Made some bright runs into the box having been moved into a central role due to Ozil's absence. Didn't quite have the guile to pick a way through the Newcastle defence, though. (6/10)

Alexis Sanchez: Forced a good save from Krul with a long-range drive in the first half. Didn't have quite as big an influence as he might have hoped for against 10 men, though. (7/10)

Attack

Theo Walcott: Handed a chance to lead the line, but failed to take it. Missed two golden opportunities to score and couldn't find any space in behind as Newcastle defended deeply. (5/10)

Substitutes

Olivier Giroud: On for Walcott with 20 minutes remaining and looked desperate to make an impact, but ultimately couldn't add to his impressive goalscoring record against Newcastle. (6/10)

Mikel Arteta: Brought on in the final 10 minutes to help see out the match. (6/10)