Newcastle United 1-2 Chelsea
Chelsea’s 100 per cent start to the season continued with a 1-2 win over Newcastle thanks to a controversial penalty and an own goal.
Newcastle had their own bit of luck, equalising when they should have been pulled up for a foul, but Joselu’s header couldn’t save them after Eden Hazard had fired the Blues ahead.
Premier League Newcastle vs Chelsea is one of the classic English fixtures and one which the Magpies have thrived in recently, but for all their defensive bravery this just wasn’t their day when DeAndre Yedlin put through his own goal with minutes remaining.
Newcastle is a hotbed of football and the passionate Geordie fans believe that one day they will play at the very top of European football. But there was a great deal of uncertainty as the teams were announced. Rafa Benitez had made six changes and there was no place for Jamaal Lascelles, rumoured to have fallen out with the boss over the defensive formation.
Chelsea recently had a big win in a five-goal thriller against Arsenal and this one was every bit as dramatic.
Highlights of the Game
Eden Hazard was making his first start for Chelsea, great news for Blues’ fans after their best player stayed at the Bridge despite hot rumours of a move to Real Madrid in the close season. But there were worried faces in the away dugout when he went down under a challenge from Matt Ritchie.
The talisman recovered and became more influential as the half progressed, firing just wide on 26 minutes and again five minutes later.
There was also a start for loan signing Salomon Rondon who had joined Newcastle from relegated West Brom. The Venezuelan has been handed the number 9 shirt, made famous by Geordie legends Malcolm Macdonald and Alan Shearer. And either of those two would have put the Magpies ahead just after the half hour, but Rondon planted his free header a yard wide.
The most recent Premier League Newcastle vs Chelsea results have gone the way of the Magpies in four of the last five clashes and they were still right in the game at the break, defending well in the absence of Lascelles.
Keeper Martin Dubravka kept the scores level early in the second half, getting down well and holding on to a shot from Cesar Azpilicueta, and then Alvaro Morata had a chance from ten yards out but his control let him down.
Rafa Benitez had seen enough of his new striker Rondon, replacing him with Joselu, while Sarri brought Olivier Giroud on in place of Morata.
Chelsea continued to probe patiently but centre-back Antonio Rudiger tried to get on with it more quickly, smashing a shot against the crossbar from 25 yards. Then on 75 minutes came the first big moment of controversy. Marcos Alonso got goal side of Fabian Schar and the debutant played the ball but referee Paul Tierney pointed to the spot.
Hazard coolly stepped up and fired an unstoppable shot into the top corner and beyond the reach of Dubravka.
Rafa was fuming.
But he felt justice was done on 83 minutes when DeAndre Yedlin caught Giroud in the face with his elbow, and as the Chelsea players waited for the whistle Yedlin crossed for Joselu, who showed great movement to get in front of David Luiz to head home. More controversy and 1-1.
But Yedlin’s delight soon turned to despair when he got in the way of a cross-shot from Alonso and somehow turned the ball into his own net.
Key Statistics
The Premier League Newcastle vs Chelsea odds pointed to a comfortable away win, but it was anything but.
The statistics tell a tale of total dominance, with 81 per cent possession and 15 shots to six but they needed two slices of luck to win.
It’s seven seasons since Chelsea has won at St James Park and Newcastle almost got away with it.
This was Hazard’s 70th goal for Chelsea making him their third top scorer in Premier League history.
What’s next?
Maurizio Sarri’s team can really press on now. They play Bournemouth and Cardiff City, either side of the international break. SBOBET Premier League 2018 fans will keep a close eye on the Blues as they aim to challenge Manchester City and Liverpool at the top.
It doesn’t get any easier for Newcastle with a trip to the Etihad where champions Manchester City are unlikely to give any quarter, having dropped points at Wolves. They’ll probably need the international break to recover and then it’s the small matter of Arsenal, who got their campaign off and running with a win over West Ham.
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