A double from Reece James helped Chelsea on their way to an easy 3-0 win at St James’ Park as Newcastle United struggled to create throughout the match.
Graeme Jones’ first home match as interim manager at Newcastle did not end how he would have hoped for as his side failed to challenge Chelsea ‘keeper Edouard Mendy over the course of the match.
Prior to the game here, Newcastle had failed to win in their first nine Premier League games this season, which they had only ever done twice in their history. They made that 10 games to start their campaign here as they registered just a single shot on target over the 90 minutes.
Chelsea dominated possession from start to finish and eventually broke down a solid Newcastle defense just after the hour mark. From there, the Blues continued to control the match as they added another two goals to their lead.
Here’s the player ratings for what was a dismal afternoon for the Magpies.
Liverpool 2-2 Brighton
City 0-2 Palace
Newcastle 0-3 ChelseaChelsea in control of the Premier League title race ? pic.twitter.com/x7wZ3C56Hm
— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 30, 2021
Newcastle United
Karl Darlow – 4
Made a couple of comfortable saves from some efforts from range. Was still on the floor for James’ second goal and also brought down Barkley inside the area for a clear penalty.
Javier Manquillo – 6
Did not do too bad defensively, largely nullifying the threat from the in-form Ben Chilwell who did not cause too much trouble down the left flank.
Emil Krafth – 5
Kept a fairly solid structure in the first half but did not do anything of note.
Jamaal Lascelles 5
Had the least number of touches out of anyone on the pitch to play the full match and his distribution from the back was too inaccurate. Won a few headers.
Ciaran Clark 5.5
Put in a good cross from the left in the first half for Wilson. Made a few interceptions.
Matt Ritchie – 5
Made a decent header in the box from a Hudson-Odoi cross but the ball fell to James to open the scoring. Ball retention was poor with just 50% pass accuracy. Won a few duels but did nothing of note.
Allan Saint-Maximin – 6
Looked creative in parts due to his flair and pace but failed to create any chances for Newcastle. Worked quite hard but had a lack of support going forward.
Isaac Hayden – 6
Booked for a poor challenge on Christensen in the first half. Made a good block to deny Kavertz on the edge of the box in the second half and was fairly accurate with his passing. Fairly average performance.
Sean Longstaff – 5
Poor in possession and did not do much to influence the game. Spent most of his time chasing the Chelsea midfield and maintaining a defensive structure.
Ryan Fraser – 5
Did not do anything of note being being subbed off after the hour mark. Was hardly involved in the match and had only 17 touches.
Callum Wilson – 5.5
Won a couple of good headers as he looked to offer some form of threat going forward for Newcastle but struggled with a lack of support in attack.
Substitutions
Joe Willock – N/A
Miguel Almiron – N/A
Jonjo Shelvey – N/A
We've got super Thomas Tuchel. ? pic.twitter.com/2PoSUkPqBF
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 30, 2021
Chelsea
Edouard Mendy – 6
Had very little to do throughout the match and was not ever troubled.
Andreas Christensen – 7.5
Good challenge to nullify the Wilson header after a good ball in from the left by Clark in the first half. Won the most duels in the match with eight and looked very solid at the back.
Thiago Silva – 7
Won a couple of good headers but did not have too much to do defensively. Was accurate with his distribution from the back.
Antonio Rudiger – 7.5
Looking to drive forward with the ball from deep but failed to provide a good ball into Hudson-Odoi in the first half. Defended well when called upon but once again had little to do throughout. Completed the most passes in the match with 114.
Reece James – 9
Looked a threat down the right flank from the start, making good runs. Tried to supply a few balls into the box but his crosses were subpar inside the first 20 minutes. Created the best chances in the first half after he put a good ball in after half an hour which created two good chances for Chelsea. Gave Chelsea the lead with a superb finish on his left foot into the top left corner and secured his brace with a fantastic strike.
N’Golo Kante – 6.5
Looked to drive forward with the ball from deep at times. Did well progressing the ball in the midfield due to his speed. Fairly solid performance before being subbed off when the score was at 0-0.
Jorginho – 7
The Italian played a great ball into the channel for James early on and looked to dictate possession from deep. Converted from the spot comfortably to put Chelsea three up.
Ben Chilwell – 7
Looked to get forward at left wing-back and had very little to do defensively. Looked inside every time he got the ball down the flank, recycling possession into the center. Created a couple of chances.
Hakim Ziyech – 7.5
Squandered a chance from close range following a good cross from James. Looked dangerous at times and picked the ball up in some good positions. Had a free-kick that curled a few inches under the bar. Picked up some good positions in space in and around the box. Deflected effort struck the post early in the second half. Looked creative during his time on the pitch.
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 7
Looked sharp and threatening at times. Couple of good runs and passes. Great work in the build up to the opening goal, going down the left flank superbly before putting in a cross.
Kai Havertz – 6.5
Should have done better at the front post following a James cross in the first half and was not involved too much throughout, creating just one chance.
Substitutions
Ross Barkley – 6.5
Won the penalty from making a good run into the box. Kept the ball well when he came on too.