Newcastle United 0-2 Chelsea: Player ratings as Blues cruise past toothless Toons | Premier League 2020/21
Chelsea went top of the pile in the Premier League with a remarkable 2-0 win over Newcastle United at St. James' Park on Saturday.
The Blues scored two goals on either side of half-time. A Federico Fernandez own-goal set the tone of the match early on, before Tammy Abraham rounded off an authoritative performance with a second.
The Blues created a slew of chances, with the majority of them falling to German forward Timo Werner. He should have buried them and continued his scoring spree but didn't; however, the striker created a moment of magic when he bulldozed through the Toons back line to set Abraham up.
Newcastle, on the other hand, were uninspiring on both ends of the pitch. There seemed an apparent lack of hunger to move 10-15 meters further up and get at the opposition from them. They were punished as a result of the same.
On that note, let's rate the Chelsea players after their fifth successive win in all competitions.
Also read: Chelsea star Olivier Giroud's agent aims jibe at Frank Lampard for lack of opportunities
Newcastle United 0-2 Chelsea: Player ratings
Edouard Mendy: 6.5/10
Under 25% of the ball and no shots on target for Newcastle meant that Edouard Mendy had another breezy afternoon. He has now kept four clean sheets in the Premier League.
Reece James: 7.5/10
Reece James was as consistent and sound as he has been throughout the season down the right. He did not maraud down the right flank like he did against Sheffield United, but the Englishman was resolute against Allan Saint-Maximin in this game.
Shrugging off the Newcastle winger from the ball on a couple of occasions, James illustrated his physical prowess clearly in this victory.
Antonio Rudiger: 7/10
Antonio Rudiger put in a neat performance, pairing up well with Kurt Zouma and seeing off any potential Newcastle danger. He did his job, although Thiago Silva is likely to return to the heart of defense in the next game.
Kurt Zouma: 9/10
It appeared as though Chelsea did not have much to do off the ball, but it was the way they were recycling possession that ensured their dominance.
One aspect that fuelled the same was Zouma's superiority in the air. The sturdy center-back won every battle on the pitch and smoothly went about his business in possession.
Ben Chilwell: 7/10
Chilwell continued to make smart runs down the inside left, whipped a few stellar crosses in and defended just as well. He has solidified Chelsea's left-hand side since arriving from Leicester. The interchanges of play with Mount and Werner were fluent, sharp and a treat to watch.
N'Golo Kante: 8/10
A lot of chatter goes around about Chelsea's young talents, their destructive pace up front and the genius of the forward players. However, experience always matters.
Kante's return to his familiar position after having brushed all the niggles aside has been perhaps, the most crucial element in their upturn in form. The Frenchman shielded the back line and pressed the Newcastle players in their own half. His awareness was exemplary.
Mateo Kovacic: 7/10
Kovacic played further up the pitch and kept things ticking efficiently. He moved the ball quickly and ensured his side were playing at serious tempo throughout. Some of his link-ups and overall composure on the ball under pressure was fantastic.
Mason Mount: 8.5/10
Mason Mount did what he does so well for Chelsea. He created all sorts of problems for Newcastle from midfield, exchanging positions at will and spraying passes down the channel and flanks.
His work rate, coupled with the ability to drive proved to be a real boost for Chelsea's attacking trio. The cross that led to the opener was fast and accurate, waiting to be guided to the back of the net.
Not to mention, he played the full 90 minutes despite appearing for his national side over the break as well.
Hakim Ziyech: 6/10
Ziyech started off with a blinder of a pass to Abraham early on, but was relatively quiet. Some of his passes were gathered easily by Darlow, while a few others were undercooked. He led the Chelsea press, and worked his socks off without the ball.
Tammy Abraham: 8.5/10
Abraham proved once again why he should start for Chelsea, bagging his goal with great calmness. His movement beyond the shoulder of the Newcastle center-halves was wonderful.
The sharpshooter now has three Premier League goals this season to his credit.
Timo Werner: 6.5/10
Werner was a real mixed bag against Newcastle. He missed the simplest of chances early on, and then squandered another opportunity when all he had to do was slide the ball for Ziyech to pass it into an empty net.
The German was also guilty of losing possession. However, one moment of brilliance from him completely carved the Newcastle defense open, as he teed up Abraham for the second goal.
Substitutes
Callum Hudson-Odoi: 5/10
Hudson-Odoi's attacking spark came to the fore when he cut inside from the left wing and played one-twos with the midfielders. He would have loved to get on the scoresheet.
Emerson: N/A
Came off to provide Chilwell a breather and did his job as Chelsea maintained most of the ball.
Olivier Giroud: N/A
Had a sniff of goal but was unfortunately off side.
Also read: Twitter explodes as Chelsea move to the top of the table with a win against Newcastle United