That’s it for today’s blog. I’ll leave you with our match report from St James’ Park. Thanks for your company, goodnight!
Marcos Alonso speaks! “I think it was a penalty. I was about to pass the ball to Giroud when he took me down. I don’t mind if the second goal is taken away from me: 2-1, three points, that’s what matters.”
Eden Hazard speaks! “When they equalised I think everyone thought it would be a draw, but we are Chelsea: we never give up. They defended well but we deserved to win. We are tired but happy.”
Chelsea’s 913 passes in the match might be a Premier League record, though.
According to the official Premier League site, Chelsea had 81.1 per cent of the possession in that match. That’s not quite a record - Manchester City had 82.3 per cent in the Aguerrooooooooooooooooooooo game.
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Full time: Newcastle 1-2 Chelsea
Peep peep! Chelsea join Liverpool and Watford on nine points from the first three games.
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90+3 min A loose ball bounces nicely for Ayoze Perez, who swishes a half volley over the bar from 20 yards.
90+1 min There will be five minutes of added time.
90 min Azpilicueta fouls Joselu 30 yards from goal - or, at least, is adjudged to have fouled him. Ki clips it straight out of play.
Willian’s lofted free-kick from the left was headed back to Alonso, who dragged a low right-footed volley across goal from the edge of the area. It was going wide until it hit the outstretched left foot of Yedlin and dribbled miserably into the net.
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GOAL! Newcastle 1-2 Chelsea (Yedlin own goal 87)
Chelsea have won it again!
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86 min Chelsea have won the game once; now they need to win it again.
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Now it’s Chelsea who are fuming. Giroud was flattened by an elbow from Yedlin, at which point a number of the Chelsea team stopped playing. Yedlin crossed towards the near post, where Joselu came on the blind side of David Luiz and flashed a header past Kepa.
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GOAL! Newcastle 1-1 Chelsea (Joselu 83)
Joselu equalises out of nothing with a brilliant header!
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81 min I wonder what Kepa’s been thinking about during this match.
80 min Jorginho’s alert first-time pass releases Willian down the right, but he underhits a low pass towards the unmarked Hazard in the area. Jorginho’s passing is a joy.
79 min Newcastle’s final change. The unhappy Fabian Schar is replaced by Yoshinori Muto.
79 min Chelsea’s final change: Ross Barkley replaces the lively Mateo Kovacic.
77 min Newcastle are fuming about the penalty decision, and you can understandwhy. Schar got a lot on the ball as he challenged from the side before taking Alonso down in his follow through. That looks a really harsh decision.
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GOAL! Newcastle 0-1 Chelsea (Hazard 76 pen)
Eden Hazard doesn’t miss penalties, and this one is crashed emphatically into the left corner. Dubravka went the right way but had almost no chance of getting to it.
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PENALTY TO CHELSEA!
76 min Alonso gets the wrong side of Schar and goes down, and Paul Tierney gives the penalty.
73 min Another Newcastle substitution. Ayoze Perez replaces Jacob Murphy.
72 min: Rudiger hits the bar! That was a spectacular effort. He pushed the ball forward and hit a ferocious shot from 30 yards that beat Dubravka for pace and slammed off the bar.
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71 min In the second half - and you’ll like this - Newcastle have had 10 per cent possession.
70 min Another yellow card: Ritchie is booked for flattening Hazard. That was a nasty tackle.
69 min Another change for Chelsea: Willian replaces Pedro.
68 min Fernandez is booked for a late tackle on Kovacic.
67 min Newcastle’s tactics will doubtless be criticised, but in the circumstances I can understand their approach. And they have defended admirably, with both brains and brawn.
66 min A Chelsea substitution. Former footballer Alvaro Morata is replaced by Olivier Giroud.
65 min Schar is rightly booked for taking out Hazard.
65 min “Is it just me, or does it seem like Chelsea’s passing is actually very good, just their movement isn’t?” asks Adam Kline-Schoder. “I feel like if they kept up their current rate of passing (if such a thing exists) and just bloody MOVED, they’d create so many opportunities, even against such a strong low block. Could it be that there’s far too strong a dependency on Hazard?”
It feels like their passing has been a bit slow, though of course that’s linked to their movement.
62 min A Newcastle substitution: Salomon Rondon is replaced by Joselu.
61 min This is comically one-sided. I reckon Newcastle have been out of their half once in the last six or seven minutes.
60 min Pedro curls a dangerous cross towards Morata that is crucially headed clear by Schar.
58 min BREAKING NEWS: NEWCASTLE CROSS THE HALFWAY LINE.
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56 min Azpilicueta finds Morata in the area, but his touch is heavy and Schar gets across to clear. Morata has been a bit disappointing, and with Newcastle defending so deep, this might be a day for Olivier Giroud.
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55 min Hazard has been majestic today. It’s such a bonus for Chelsea that he is staying, as they would be pretty ordinary without him.
51 min “As Mitrovic continues to bang them in for Fulham, Andy Hinchcliffe posited that if Newcastle fans had been given the choice between Mitro, Rondon and Joselu, most would go for the Serb,” says Shaun Wilkinson. “I agree that most would think that (and I know I do), but a lot would be hesitant to say it as it would mean indirectly admitting that Rafa is not infallible. What’s your opinion? Mitro or Rondon? I am not going to insult you by entertaining the possibility you would choose Joselu.”
I haven’t seen much of Mitrovic so I don’t really have an opinion. Rondon is limited but at least he knows those limits and sticks to a fairly simple role.
50 min Good save from Dubravka. Hazard plays a brilliant pass to find Pedro on the right of the box. He eases it back to the onrushing Azpilicueta, whose first-time shot is too close to Dubravka.
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49 min Chelsea have picked up where they left off before half-time. It’s almost painfully one-sided, and yet Newcastle are defending admirably.
46 min Peep peep! Chelsea begin the second half, yeah?
Chelsea had 79 per cent of the possession in that first half, which must be at least seven tenths of the law.
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A bit of half-time reading
Half time: Newcastle 0-0 Chelsea
Peep peep! Chelsea have been highly dominant, but Newcastle have restricted them to few clear chances. See you in 15 minutes.
45 min Kovacic’s cross is only half cleared to Azpilicueta on the edge of the area. He chests the ball up and fizzes a volley that is accidentally blocked by his team-mate Morata in the six-yard box. I’m not sure whether it was going in or just wide of the far post. Moments later, Hazard is slipped through by Kante. He turns away from the keeper Dubravka but can’t make space for a shot.
45 min Hazard is fouled for the 412432432nd time in the match, prompting Kovacic - who was booked a few minutes ago - to enquire as to whether there’s any danger of a Newcastle player being similarly punished.
44 min Hazard takes the corner, Diame heads it clear. It’s nodded back in towards Rudiger, whose speculative header drifts a few yards wide of the far post. Dubravka had it covered.
43 min Now Chelsea win a corner. This is fun.
42 min “25-yard howitzers are too passé to be considered goals of the season, but I will always be partial to an outrageous effort from an improbable range,” says Matt Loten. “Not Beckham or Rooney or Adam, where they have time and space to think things through and play the percentages, but goals like Matt Taylor for Portsmouth against Everton a few years back, or Dejan Stankovic against Schalke in the Champions League. Halfway line, fizzing ball, hit on the volley. Sweet as.”
41 min Newcastle win three corners in quick succession, the third of which is eventually cleared by Hazard.
40 min Kovacic is booked for a foul on the admirable, tireless Yedlin.
37 min Hazard’s positioning and awareness are so good. He has found space all day, even though Newcastle have often had nine men within 25 yards of their own goal.
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36 min Hazard dances beautifully past three defenders in the area before being challenged by Fernandez. The ball breaks to Pedro, whose first-time shot is well held by Dubravka, diving to his right.
35 min A good chance at the other end. Ki is robbed by Pedro, who scoots into the area from the right only to curl a left-footed shot high and wide of the far post.
34 min The first opportunity for Newcastle. When Ritchie’s corner was only half cleared, the ball was curled back into the area by Fernandez. Rondon had a clear header at the near post but planted it wide. He should probably have done better.
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31 min Newcastle get some respite in Chelsea’s half. Diame swishes a long-range shot that is blocked on the edge of the area.
30 min Hazard clips a left-footed shot wide from 20 yards. Chelsea have completed almost five times as many passes as Newcastle: 320-69. But, as the excellent Andy Hinchcliffe points out on Sky, Dubravka has had little to do.
29 min Morata zips infield from the left and hits a 20-yard shot that deflects wide off Schar. Hazard’s lofted corner is headed towards goal by Rudiger and held comfortably Dubravka.
27 min “Hearty agreement on long-range goals,” says Hubert O’Hearn. “Most of the time they’re like calling a lotto winner an Expert Gambler. I prefer the quick 1-2-3 passes setting up an open goal, or a Dennis Bergkamp slithering through the penalty area. One exception though - if it’s Le Tissier teeing one up mid-air so he can volley it - that is a goal of the year!”
When it comes to goals, ‘Le Tissier’ is a genre all of its own.
24 min A lovely effort from Hazard. He received a short pass from Kovacic, moved menacingly into the D and passed the ball just wide of the far post.
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23 min To say Newcastle are rationing their attacks would be an understatement. It’s like a training exercise, attack against defence; so far Newcastle are winning.
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21 min Hazard was challenged by Diame, who won the ball fairly and then accidentally stood on the back of Hazard’s leg in his follow through. Hazard is limping but looks set to continue.
20 min There’s a break in play while Hazard, who has been very bright, receives treatment.
17 min Hazard’s corner pinballs around the Newcastle area until Rudiger slashes miles wide from the edge of the area. Chelsea are very dominant now.
15 min Hazard, nominally the left-sided forward, is wandering wherever he likes and Newcastle are struggling to pick him up. He has a free role really, with Alonso the main left-sided threat.
12 min Morata, trying to reach Azpilicueta’s dangerous low cross, goes down in the area after a challenge from Schar. There wasn’t enough contact for a penalty.
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10 min Chelsea are having a lot of the ball, with Jorginho involved all the time. He’s impressively influential for someone who has only been at the club a few weeks.
8 min “Hey Rob,” says J.R. “Wait until you see the goal Seri just scored for Fulham. A 30-yard missile. Goal of the Season material. Also, here in the U.S. our pundits were speculating that Lascelles was dropped for refusing to play on the right of a back three.”
Long-range shots should never be Goal of the Season. Discuss.
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6 min Newcastle have started to look dangerous in possession. Murphy’s crisp low shot was 25 yards is held by the sprawling Kepa. Murphy should really have played the ball left to Dummett, who was in all kinds of pace.
4 min A good attack from Newcastle. Murphy spins cleverly behind David Luiz, beating him without touching the ball, and clips a cross that is confidently claimed by Kepa.
3 min I wondered if I was being harsh in putting Newcastle’s formation as 5-4-1 rather than 3-4-3. The early signs are that 5-4-1 was a generous description; thus far it has been more of a 5-4-0-0-0-1.
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2 min Hazard hops around in pain after feeling Ritchie’s studs in his achilles. I don’t think it was deliberate, unlike the Capoue/Zaha incident earlier. Either way, Hazard seems fine.
1 min Peep peep! Newcastle, kicking from right to left, get the match under way.
“Hi Rob,” says Shaun Wilkinson. “So, no Shelvey or Lascelles today - any word on why arguably Newcastle’s two best players are missing? The sense of foreboding at seeing those two missing out and Hazard playing is balanced out at least a little by the much more welcome absences of both Joselu and Manquillo from the Newcastle team. After last week, it’s hard to see Kenedy’s absence as much of a blow either, despite his impressive loan spell last season. Can you remember a player having a worse 90 minutes than that?”
Shelvey and Lascelles are injured, apparently. As for a worse performance than Kenedy’s, one springs to mind.
Maurizio Sarri speaks “I don’t know if Eden Hazard is able to play for the whole game but I think it’s time for him to start. He has worked for three weeks and now I want to give him minutes on the pitch. It’s the same with Matteo Kovacic, who will be a very important for us this season.”
Rafa speaks! “We have some problems with injuries and suspensions, plus Kenedy cannot play against his parent club. We have to manage what we have and hopefully we’ll be fine. Jonjo Shelvey has playing with pain in the last two games and he couldn’t keep doing that.”
Watford beat Crystal Palace 2-1 in a controversial match earlier this afternoon. You can follow match reaction with Daniel Harris.
Pre-match reading
Team news
Newcastle United (5-4-1) Dubravka; Yedlin, Fernandez, Schar, Clark, Dummett; Ritchie, Ki, Diame, Murphy; Rondon.
Substitutes: Darlow, Sterry, Atsu, Longstaff, Muto, Perez, Joselu.
Chelsea (4-3-3) Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, David Luiz, Alonso; Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic; Pedro, Morata, Hazard.
Substitutes: Caballero, Zappacosta, Christensen, Barkley, Loftus-Cheek, Giroud, Willian.
Referee Paul Tierney.
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Preamble
The fixture computer doesn’t like Rafa Benitez. Fact. His Newcastle team have a burdensome start to the season, with four of the Big Six in their first five games. They’ve already lost at home to Spurs, and play Chelsea today. Next week they go to the Etihad, where they invariably get hammered, and then it’s Arsenal at home. It’s quite feasible they will have only one point after five games.
And yet, and yet. There is a better-case scenario, too. Benitez has turned Newcastle into a solid, resourceful team who can give almost anyone a game at home - and their recent record against Chelsea at St James’ Park is spectacular. They’ve won four and drawn one of the last five, and they plugged Antonio Conte’s side 3-0 in May.
This, of course, is no longer your film Antonio Conte’s side. Chelsea’s players look like they’re enjoying life again under Maurizio Sarri. A win by three goals this afternoon would even put them top of the nascent Premier League table. And though a title challenge is probably beyond them, we can say one thing about Chelsea. With Sarri in charge, they are going to be darn good fun to watch this season. Fact.
Kick off is at 4pm.
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