When Rafa Benitez’s name was real out prior to Saturday’s early kick off, the Newcastle fans understandably praised their Spanish boss, though a section of the Chelsea support vocalised their disapproval for their former manager. His stint at Stamford Bridge may have been short and sweet, depending on whether a Europa League triumph was satisfactory, but some fans were still unhappy at his short-lived appointment in 2012 owing to his time as Liverpool manager.
It’s not as though Benitez isn’t the most giving of managers either. Not only did he deliver a trophy, he’s lost more competitive matches to Chelsea while manager of an English side (12) than any other opponent. That number had risen to 13 come full time. That being said, he wasn’t feeling particularly charitable in the opening exchanges in west London as Newcastle matched Chelsea early on, with Dwight Gayle opening the scoring for the Magpies. Gayle may have only scored two Premier League goals this season, but both have come away from home and against Manchester United and Chelsea.
Gayle’s early goal though seemed to spark the hosts into life, with Andreas Christensen heading against the post and Alvaro Morata denied a penalty despite being clattered Karl Darlow in comical fashion. Indeed, the defending champions were level midway through the first half as Eden Hazard netted his fourth league goal of the season. It took another 12 minutes for Chelsea to turn the score around as Alvaro Morata got on the end of a fizzed Victor Moses goal to score his 9th Premier League goal of the season and 5th headed goal, more than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues.
Chelsea were dominant after the interval, yet failed to turn their possession into goals until the final 15 minutes of the game when Hazard scored his second and Chelsea’s third from the spot. Matt Ritchie, played in an unfamiliar left wing-back role, brought Moses down and Hazard duly obliged from 12 yards to confirm the three points. It was the first time Newcastle had lined with a three-man defence in the Premier League this season with the idea to counter the width in this Chelsea XI. However, while Javier Manquillo kept Marcos Alonso relatively quiet, Ritchie was disappointing to say the least.
He was clearly a player shoehorned in to play a role he is not equipped to operate in. Benitez looked to sign a left-back over the summer and the lack of investment in the position has cost the Magpies on occasion. Today was one of those days where a specialist in the position would have given Newcastle a greater chance of upsetting the odds. 43% of Chelsea’s attacks came down their right side as Victor Moses pushed forward to stretch the play with ease. With star performer Hazard often drifting to the right to double up on Ritchie, the Scotland international endured a torrid afternoon in west London.
Ritchie earned a WhoScored rating of just 5.45 in Saturday’s early kick off, with the 28-year-old committing one error that led to a goal to go with his foul on Moses for a Chelsea penalty late on. He had more touches (72) than any other Newcastle player, signifying just how busy he was on the day. While he pushed forward well on occasion, making more key passes (2) than any other player for the visitors, his defensive shortcomings were ruthlessly exposed by the champions. Moses, making his first start since the 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace in October, was excellent down the right, earning a WhoScored rating of 8.14 having also provided the assist for Morata’s first half header, with the Nigerian proving just why he deserves to be first choice right wing-back when available.
However, the man of the moment was undeniably Hazard, whose brace means he has scored more goals against Newcastle (6) than any other team. The Belgian returned a WhoScored rating of 9.90, better than any other player, and was superb once more. In Newcastle’s unfamiliar setup, Hazard capitalised on any confusion in the ranks to apply pressure to the defence during his 78 minutes on the pitch as he rattled off six shots on target and completed eight dribbles. With ample space in midfield, he dropped deeper effectively in his central role to collect possession and drive at the Newcastle backline, while also pulling to the right to exploit the space between Ritchie and Ciaran Clark.
It was a deserved win for Chelsea, that much is true, even if Newcastle started brightly. Conte, though, will not have been happy with the way his side started, but delighted with the response of the players to wrap up another crucial three points.
