Newcastle United moved into the top half of the table courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Liverpool at St James' Park this afternoon.

Ayoze Perez got the only goal of the game with just over 15 minutes remaining as he slammed the ball home from inside the box following a mistake by Alberto Moreno.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at who stood out for both the right and the wrong reasons as the hosts claimed their third league win on the bounce.

NEWCASTLE

Goal

Tim Krul: Was a spectator for much of the match as those in front of him kept Liverpool at bay. Showed decent handling when he was called into action, and made one fine save to deny Coutinho, although the Brazilian was offside anyway. (7/10)

Defence

Daryl Janmaat: Helped to stave off the threat of Liverpool's attack throughout, but was perhaps fortunate not to be sent off following a terrible challenge on Balotelli. (6/10)

Fabricio Coloccini: Led by example with a good performance that once again kept Balotelli quiet throughout. It was a sound defensive display from the hosts, and Coloccini was right at the heart of that. (7/10)

Steven Taylor: Didn't really have too much to do as Liverpool struggled to get anything going in attack. Partnered Coloccini well in defence and helped to keep Liverpool's dangermen quiet. (6/10)

Paul Dummett: Was given the task of dealing with Sterling, and carried it out well. The winger got very little joy against Dummett, who also played his part going forward as well. (7/10)

Midfield

Mehdi Abeid: Very solid in the middle of the park on his first Premier League start. Was confident in possession and helped to prevent the likes of Coutinho pull the strings. (7/10)

Jack Colback: Went about his business effectively in midfield, although neither side really shone in that area of the field. Did nothing wrong, but didn't influence the game positively either. (6/10)

Moussa Sissoko: Arguably the best player on the park, with a number of driving runs at the heart of the Liverpool defence that caused the visitors problems. One such run ended with the pass that saw Moreno's mistake gift Perez the winner. (7/10)

Attack

Gabriel Obertan: Was forced off midway through the first half with a thigh strain and looks set for a few weeks at least on the sidelines. (6/10)

Papiss Cisse: Saw a couple of half-chances fall his way but should have done better from a corner once Mignolet had missed the ball. Was taken off at half time. (6/10)

Sammy Ameobi: There was no repeat of his goalscoring display last weekend, but still a solid performance from the attacker. (6/10)

Substitutes

Rolando Aarons: Replaced the injured Obertan shortly before the half-hour mark and showed a few glimpses of his undoubted talent. (6/10)

Ayoze Perez: Came off the bench to score the winner for the second week running, showing good predatory instincts to pounce on Moreno's mistake and fire home. (7/10)

Remy Cabella: Missed a glorious chance to make it 2-0 and kill the game off, but did have a good impact on the match overall having replaced Ameobi after the hour. (6/10)

LIVERPOOL

Goal

Simon Mignolet: Could do nothing about the goal and made a superb stop to ensure things didn't get even worse for his side. Looked vulnerable under the high ball on a couple of occasions again, though. (6/10)

Defence

Glen Johnson: Showed his defensive weaknesses on a couple of occasions, allowing players to skip beyond him far too easily. Not a great performance from the full-back. (5/10)

Martin Skrtel: Coped with the Newcastle attack for the vast majority of the match, but ultimately couldn't help his side to a clean sheet. Missed a good chance at the other end that could have given his side the lead. (6/10)

Dejan Lovren: Like Skrtel, carried out his defensive duties well for most of the match but could do nothing to prevent the winning goal. (6/10)

Alberto Moreno: Played more like a left winger when Liverpool had the ball in the first half, but couldn't provide anything of note going forward. Looks prone to the odd error and that was the case again today as he gifted Newcastle the winner. (4/10)

Midfield

Steven Gerrard: Was Liverpool's brightest player as he looked to grab the game by the scruff of the neck in the second half. However, his raking passes were often off target, and those in front of him failed to offer the support needed. (6/10)

Joe Allen: Solid display in the middle of the park without doing anything spectacular. Both teams lacked tempo on the ball and used the safe pass too often, and Allen was as guilty as anyone of that. (6/10)

Jordan Henderson: Could not exert any influence on the game, with his usual bustling style and boundless energy seemingly sapped by the dullness of the match. (6/10)

Philippe Coutinho: Had a bright spell when he began to get himself on the ball a little more in the second half, but other than that failed to pull the strings in the hole. (6/10)

Raheem Sterling: Very quiet performance from the teenager, who showed none of his usual positivity on the ball. Struggled to find a way past the Newcastle defence. (5/10)

Attack

Mario Balotelli: Was once again anonymous for long spells, but did chase back a couple of times and worked hard for the team. Had a couple of efforts from outside the box, but failed to get into goalscoring positions enough. (5/10)

Substitutes

Fabio Borini: Flashed one effort wide of the post, but otherwise failed to affect the game like he did for Sunderland against the Magpies last season. (6/10)

Rickie Lambert: Replaced Coutinho for the final 10 minutes but didn't have an opportunity to open his goalscoring account for the club. (6/10)