?Chelsea’s patience in attack was rewarded as they beat ?Newcastle United 2-1 at St James’ Park in the ?Premier League, in what was one of the most one-sided matches you will ever see.
Goals from Hazard and an own goal from Newcastle’s DeAndre Yedlin meant that the three points would go back to Stamford Bridge. The Magpies got a late goal just before through a Joselu header, despite the home side hardly threatening the Chelsea back line, but it was not enough to topple the Blues.
It was a poor spectacle with Chelsea having all of the play in the opening 45 minutes as expected with Newcastle defending with a solid back nine at certain stages, providing heaps of frustration for the visitors. As a result the Blues struggled to carve any clear-cut chances for their strikers to feast on, whereas Newcastle’s “attack” left a lot to be desired for the majority of the afternoon.
It took until the last 10 minutes for the game to spring into life, a controversial penalty conceded by Newcastle’s Fabian Schar, who looked to have won the ball from Marcus Alonso, saw Eden Hazard convert a composed spot kick to give his side the lead before a powerful header from Joselu evened the affair moments later at the other end. An own goal from DeAndre Yedlin gave the away side the win just three minutes from time.
Here’s a full breakdown of the ?Premier League encounter.
NEWCASTLE UNITED
Key Talking Point
At St James’ Park, the Magpies are known for their swashbuckling style of football, but nowadays it’s more a case of hoping they don’t buckle. The penalty conceded by Fabian Schar seemed incredibly harsh as the Swiss defender appeared to win the ball cleanly before bringing down Marcus Alonso in a heap which will no doubt leave Rafael Benitez furious with the decision.
The Magpies eventually got their reward for their solid defending, but conceded an unlucky own goal just three minutes from time.
Before the game, Jamaal Lascelles was reportedly left out by manager Rafael Benitez after refusing to play on the right side of a back three, but confirmed before kick-off that he was out due to an ankle injury. Lots of uncertainty going forward for the Magpies.
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Dubravka (6); Yedlin (8), Schar (6), Fernandez (6), Clark (6), Dummett (6); Ritchie (6), Ki (6), Diame (6), Murphy (6); Rondon (5).
Substitutes: Joselu (7), Perez (6), Muto (6).
STAR MAN – DeAndre Yedlin
The stats say that he gave the ball away a lot in this game, which is true. But the right-back looked threatening when in possession and looked to get Newcastle ticking with his driving runs on their right-hand side.
The 25-year-old got the Newcastle faithful going with his infectious positivity and his desire to make things happen, as well as his defensive duties and his organsation ensured that the Magpies kept stable at the back.
How good has Yedlin been man
— CompleteNUFC (@CompleteNUFC) 26 August 2018
The speed of Yedlin ??
— Lynsey Hipgrave (@lynseyhipgrave1) 26 August 2018
WORST PLAYER – Salomon Rondon
Newcastle’s number nine found himself completely isolated as a result of Benitez’s tactics and the way that he set up his side.
Rondon was not at fault for this of course, his manager did not utilise him in the correct manner in order to get the best out of him, hence why the former ?Liverpool and Chelsea boss had to make the change.
The former ?West Bromwich Albion forward will have better afternoons and is expected to be given time by the fans and the manager as he awaits his first goal in a black and white shirt.
CHELSEA
Key Talking Point
There was some harsh treatment on Chelsea’s talisman Eden Hazard throughout the game as he was caught in the achilles by Matt Richie inside the first minute, as a monsoon of hefty challenges on the 27-year-old came flooding in, particularly in the first 45 minutes.
Very little appeared to be done by the match officials to protect him, his extreme influence came with brute force from the Magpies’ back line as they continued to frustrate the Blues.
Despite this, the Belgian’s influence was not quashed as his danger was always felt and St James’ Park turned silent whenever he was in possession. Hazard got his reward with a beautifully converted penalty eight minutes from time.
Player ratings
Starting XI: Kepa (6); Azpilicueta (7), Rudiger (7), David Luiz (7), Alonso (8); Kante (7), Jorginho (9), Kovacic (7); Pedro (6), Morata (6), Hazard (8).
Substitutes: Willian (6), Barkley (6), Giroud (6)
STAR MAN – Jorginho
?Manchester City fans won’t have enjoyed watching this one, the man that they thought was on their way to the Etihad but opted for Stamford Bridge instead controlled the game from start to finish for Mauricio Sarri’s men. A sterling performance from the 26-year-old who didn’t put a foot out of place.
The interesting element about his game is that he appeared to hardly come out of second gear, due to the sheer lack of pressing from the Newcastle midfield. There is more to come from the Italian international, and combined with N’Golo Kante may form a deadly duo that will have fans of rival teams concerned.
The rest of the Premier League should be very, very relieved that Pep Guardiola didn’t get his hands on Jorginho. #cfc #mcfc
— Liam Twomey (@liam_twomey) 18 August 2018
WORST PLAYER – Pedro
Largely ineffective all afternoon, the former ?Barcelona forward failed to manufacture any form of serious threat on the Newcastle defence as his efforts failed to trouble the Tyneside outfit.
The Spaniard’s attempts to create chances ultimately saw him replaced in a bid to change the game.
Chelsea boss Mauricio Sarri will breathe a sigh of relief after a tough afternoon up on Tyneside, his side battled hard for the victory and will be buckling up for the Premier League ride.
Let’