Newcastle United were handed another Stamford Bridge defeat as Marcos Alonso gave Chelsea a fifth successive win.
The Magpies went toe to toe with the Blues in an encouraging first half that saw Allan Saint-Maximin stretching the Chelsea defence at times.
But and it felt only a matter of time before their resistance was broken. Martin Dubravka had already saved them with a brilliant save from Christian Pulisic but he could not prevent former Sunderland full-back Alonso from hitting the game's only goal.
It will be a frustrating outcome for Steve Bruce, who saw his side show resilience but not the requisite quality to trouble the high-flying hosts.
Here's how Lee Ryder rated the players :
Martin Dubravaka 7
One worrying moment with a poor clearance that caused some danger, but he also made a fine stop to deny Mason Mount. Incredible block to keep out Christian Pulisic in second half.
DeAndre Yedlin 5
Got the nod after a long week and flight home from Canada and had his hands full against the dangerous Hudson-Odoi. Tough week probably showed in the end..
Fabian Schar 7
A couple of crucial blocks and three interceptions.
Jamaal Lascelles 7
Got himself in the way of Willian’s free-kick in first half. Six clearances overall.
Ciaran Clark 8
A series of vital blocks and clearances in the second half and could even have netted the equaliser.
Jetro Willems 5
Looked leggy and became less effective as the game wore on. A big dip in performance after Man United.
Miguel Almiron 7
Full of running. Caused Chelsea problems in the first half. 38 touches overall. No goal but boy is he working hard to end his drought.
Sean Longstaff 6
A couple of key interceptions. Has another gear or two. 36 touches but lacked a killer touch when it was needed.
Matty Longstaff 7
Covered plenty of ground and made 26 passes. Was he ever going to emulate Man United today?
Allan Saint-Maxmin 7
Faded in the second half after superb opening 45 minutes. When United had him on the ball he caused Chelsea real problems. 35 touches and a couple of crosses.
Joelinton 6
A strong and powerful unit but lacked goal threat. Just one effort at goal in 83 minutes though.
