Chelsea had the luck of the draw after a good dose of fortune saw them come away from St. James’ Park with a 2-1 win against Newcastle United on Sunday.
A controversial penalty awarded to the Blues in the 75th minute helped them on their way to three valuable points, leaving manager Maurizio Sarri craving a smoke after a nervous all around affair.
Newcastle will feel hard done by as a crucial refereeing decision went against them, but the Magpies will take positives from the game despite the defeat.
As always, there were a number of talking points in the game, so here’s four things we learnt from the encounter.
4. The Premier League Needs VAR
Referee Paul Tierney had an absolute stinker here. His decision to award Chelsea a penalty in the 75th minute proves why the Premier League will be better with VAR implemented. Replays clearly showed that Newcastle defender Fabian Schär won the ball when attempting to tackle Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso, yet a spot kick was still awarded.
This was one of a number of decisions this weekend that referees across the board got wrong, and it may have cost Newcastle a vital point with the game deadlocked at 0-0 up until then.
Premier League chiefs will no doubt look at this and try to justify why VAR is not needed, but on this evidence, they may struggle to do so.
3. DeAndre Yedlin Was Desperately Unlucky
Newcastle United right-back DeAndre Yedlin had a wonderful game for the Magpies, but was cruelly punished by a late slice of bad luck.
The 25-year-old full-back got his foot in the way of an Alonso shot, only to watch on in horror as the ball inadvertently diverted past a helpless Martin Dubravka in the Newcastle goal.
It ended up being one of those days for Yedlin as a result, despite the American providing a superb cross for Joselu to level the game at 1-1 moments earlier.
2. Jorginho is a Top Class Player
Chelsea’s new multi-million pound signing from Napoli, Jorginho, stole the show as the Italian international controlled the tempo of play from the moment the game kicked off.
The 26-year-old’s patience and vision to find a pass was arguably one of the main factors that lead to the Blues’ victory.
After losing the same fixture on the last match of 2017/18, Chelsea were crying out for a creative midfielder who could give them authority in the middle and Jorginho definitely fills the void.
1. Eden Hazard is a Vital Piece to the Chelsea Puzzle
The Stamford Bridge faithful have been praying all summer that Eden Hazard will remain a Chelsea player this season, despite being heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid.
With the English transfer window now closed, it seems unlikely that the Blues will allow Hazard to depart – with the Stamford Bridge faithful now confident of seeing him for the entirety of this Premier League campaign.
The Belgian international proved once more that he is built for the big stage, confidently dispatching the penalty that ultimately set Chelsea on their way to victory, before picking up the man-of-the-match award.
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