PLAYER RATINGS: Cole Palmer twisted and turned Dan Burn so much that Newcastle’s left back resembled a pretzel… while Sven Botman had a torrid evening in defeat by Chelsea
Chelsea defeated Newcastle 3–2 to close the gap on Newcastle and the top half of the table to just one point.
Nicolas Jackson scored the opening goal before Alexander Isak scored the equalizer for the Magpies.
But Chelsea looked much more the comfortable side in the second half and sealed the win with goals through Cole Palmer and Mykhailo Mudryk.
It was a much-needed win for Mauricio Pochettino, although Eddie Howe’s side were frustrated when they opted for a different approach to the one that worked so well against Wolves.
Mail Sport’s KIERAN GILL and CRAIG HOPE give their verdict on how the players performed at Stamford Bridge.
Mauricio Pochettino was given a boost as Chelsea recorded a much-needed win over Newcastle
Chelsea
Djordje Petrovic 6
He looked uncomfortable with Newcastle’s high press and when he opted to launch it long instead, the Chelsea fans cheered. None of the strikes he admitted could be stopped.
Malo Gusto 7
What a nuisance running up and down the right flank, but showed carelessness in juggling the ball before Newcastle’s equaliser. That was his only mistake on an otherwise impressive evening.
Axel Disasi6
You are never sure which Disasi will appear on match day. Perhaps we could have closed Alexander Isak before his attack if we were extremely critical. Still, he can enjoy this victory on his birthday.
Trevo Chalobah 6
Another who had the chance to score before Newcastle’s equalizer. Sometimes Chelsea’s defenders don’t help themselves. But a win is a win, even if they had to hold out until the end.
Marc Cucurella6
First start since December and he celebrated the occasional block as he got back into the groove. Completely flushed by Jacob Murphy before his sensational strike delivered a nail-biting finish, mind.
Malo Gusto was tricky but was sloppy with the ball before Newcastle’s equalizer
Marc Cucurella gets back into his rhythm but was flushed out by Jacob Murphy for Newcastle’s second place
Enzo Fernandez 7
Forever made himself available to receive the ball when his goalkeeper and defenders were playing from the back and his quick forward pass allowed Palmer to score en route to this win.
Moises Caicedo 6.5
A quiet, effective performance in midfield, keeping the Newcastle players on their heels and winning possession to kill off a single attack. His partnership with Fernandez is developing.
Kool Palmer 8
Dan Burn twisted and turned so much that the Newcastle left-back looked like a pretzel at times, and finished this match with an assist and a goal. Clearly their best asset.
Cole Palmer continues to show why he is clearly Chelsea’s best signing of last summer
Conor Gallagher7
This week he missed three days of training due to illness, but you would never have known that given his relentless running. The easiest assist he’ll ever get, thanks to Mykhailo Mudryk.
Raheem Sterling 5
“Southgate is right, you’re bloody s****,” the Newcastle supporters chanted towards him. Prone to frustrating fans, like when he was one-on-one with Martin Dubravka.
Nicolas Jackson 7.5
Smart move to give Chelsea an early lead, securing his ninth Premier League goal of the season. I hoped he had scored a second, but the assistant’s flag denied him. All in all, an excellent performance from a striker.
Raheem Sterling squandered a huge one-on-one chance against Martin Dubravka
Nicolas Jackson put in a good striker performance in Chelsea’s 3-1 win
REPLACEMENTS
Mykhailo Mudryk (for Sterling, 71) – 7
Beautiful trickery to break through Newcastle’s backline and score Chelsea’s third goal – a glimpse of what he can do when given the chance. The speed he possesses is truly terrifying for defenders.
Cesare Casadei (for Palmer, 86) – N/A
Carney Chukwuemeka (for Jackson 90) – N/A
MANAGER
Mauricio Pochettino – 7
This was a much-needed win after hearing the fans turned on him during that disappointing 2-2 draw against Brentford. Now the visit of Leicester in the FA Cup – the competition that could save Chelsea this season.
Newcastle
Martin Dubravka 5
Hard to know if he was shouting to claim the ball before Chelsea’s opener; if not, he should have. Didn’t come close to Chelsea’s three goals, but was also visibly left behind by those in front of him.
Tino Livramento6.5
Did well enough on his return to Stamford Bridge – where he spent 12 years at the academy – showing forward effort in both full-back positions. He ran out of steam at the end and was repeatedly fouled, an indication of the threat he posed at times.
Fabian Schar 5.5
Started well, in terms of composure and distribution. But it wasn’t a great night defensively and he was nutmegged by Mudryk in the seconds before Chelsea’s third goal. The collaboration with Botman did not seem as reliable as it could be.
Sven Botman4
He was guilty of conceding the first goal when his weak ball went straight to Palmer, whose shot was deflected by Jackson. He was also too slow for Chelsea’s third goal and after injury he does not look like last season’s player. A torrid evening.
Then Burn 5.5
Attacked early by Chelsea – the first goal came after he failed to stop a Gusto cross – but he was not helped by Gordon getting injured in front of him. Things improved when Almiron was transferred for protection, but overall a disappointing night for the skipper.
After his injury, defender Sven Botman no longer looked like the player from last season
Dan Burn struggled to deal with Palmer and was targeted by Chelsea early in the match
Sean Longstaff5
He gave the ball away far too much and occasionally put teammates under pressure with his passing. It seems like he needs a break from the team as his form is well below last season’s level.
Bruno Guimaraes6
A brilliant assist for Isak as he won the ball and fed his teammate a pass, but he didn’t control the midfield as a player of his quality and reputation should. His night was summed up when he slept on the ball and was robbed late on by Palmer.
Joe Willock6
Running and running, but there was little impact in the final third. He has done well after returning from injury, but as Howe predicted, there was always going to be a match where he “bounced”. Maybe this was it.
Miguel Almirón 6
Think of Willock in terms of effort and perspiration, but again there was little quality in the final third when it mattered.
Alexander Isaac 6.5
Fantastic finish for his goal – dropping a shoulder and finding the bottom corner – but he was off serve for most of the match. Still one of the better players on his team.
Alexander Isak provided a fantastic finish, but was denied service during the match
Anthony Gordon 5
He was injured within the first five minutes and was clearly struggling as he continued for another half hour. Things couldn’t have gone worse on the night of his audition in England for Gareth Southgate, given his excellent season so far. He left in the 36th minute holding his knee and it didn’t look good.
Subs
Jacob Murphy (35 minutes ahead of Gordon) 7
His cross offered at least an immediate threat and while it wasn’t always accurate, there was a better attacking focus with him on the pitch. A great attack that gave hope of a draw and he was probably the best player of his team.
Emil Krafth (at 69 minutes for Burn) 5.5
Elliot Anderson (at 69 minutes for Almiron) 6.5
Lewis Miley (80 minutes ahead of Willock) 6
Joe White (at 80 minutes for Guimaraes) 6
Manager
Eddie Howe 5
Why didn’t Newcastle stick to the approach that worked so well against Wolves? They had more ball possession here, but didn’t really know what to do with it. The Gordon injury was disruptive, but this was not a great night for Howe and his side.