Newcastle United 3 - 2 Chelsea : Player Ratings
NEWCASTLE, ENGLAND – FEB 2: Tim Krul (L) of Newcastle hugs team-mate Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa at full time of the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Chelsea at St James Park.
Tim Krul: 6.5
Made a superb save when Ba was through on goal and some excellent catches and punches when Chelsea had a strew of corners.
Fabricio Coloccini: 6
Made several interceptions and blocks when Chelsea put on the pressure. Was steady and confident. Almost broke his former teammate Ba’s nose but put in a slid shift.
Davide Santon: 7
Kept Oscar in check and went forward many times and played in several great crosses. Assisted the winning goal in the end.
James Perch: 5
Mata ran rings around him throughout the game. Didn’t impose himself as a presence at the back and was easily beaten most of the time.
Mathieu Debuchy: 6
Managed to keep Bertrand in his pocket throughout as he brushed past him easily. Moved forward at will and was tidy but unspectacular.
Steve Taylor: 8
Was Newcastle’s heart and soul at the back. Flew into challenges and didn’t allow Torres or Ba an inch of space. Made some fantastic blocks especially one to deny Lampard at the very end.
Yohan Cabaye: 7
Combined well with Sissoko and Debuchy. Made some excellent long passes and crosses as well.
Moussa Sissoko: 8.5
Was a midfield goliath as he as he did everything so well. Ran and passes the ball well as he tackled strong as well. Scored two really good goals to win the game. An almost perfect performance.
Jonas Gutierrez: 7.5
Was his usual industrious self and went about with great determination but was wary in his passing and decision making. Did well to rise above all of them to make the header that opened Newcastle’s scoring.
Papiss Cisse: 6
Was always ready to blast forward but his finishing left much to be desire. Was one on one with Cech on two occasions but couldn’t do much about it.
Yoan Gouffran : 7
New addition to the team and had a brilliant connection with his attacking teammates. Gave Ivanovic a terrible time and will come out to develop into a good player soon.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Sylvain Marveaux : N/A
Came on for Gouffran in the 85th minute.
Mapou Yanga M’biwa : N/A
Came on for Sissoko in the 90th minute.
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENG – FEB 02: Frank Lampard of Chelsea celebrates his goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Newcastle United at St James Park.
Petr Cech: 6.5
Made some amazing saves throughout and looked reassured most of the time in the first half. Couldn’t do much about the Gutierrez’s header but could have done better with Sissoko’s goal as he parried it right into his path.
Branislav Ivanovic: 4.5
Was troubled by Gouffran throughout the match and was rarely able to go forward. But he managed to get involved in the build up to Mata’s goal.
Ashley Cole: 6.5
Handled Gutierrez well for the most part. Couldn’t and didn’t have to do much against Debuchy. Was beaten by him on quite a few occasions though.
Gary Cahill: 6
Wasn’t very assured at the back and let Cisse get past him many times. Was out of position many a time and allowed a lot of space for the Newcastle attackers.
John Terry: 6
Started his first Premier League game after almost 3 months and was put alongside a nervy Cahill. Cleared and blocked well although he was beaten a few times in the air.
Ryan Bertrand: 3
Was put into an unfamiliar left wing position and was totally kept in check by Debuchy. Didn’t do anything of importance in attack or in defense.
Ramires: 3.5
Was totally out of his usual deadly form and was constantly giving away possession and lunged into tackles. Was lucky to stay on the pitch after a two-footed challenge.
Frank Lampard: 7.5
Carried the team along and kept them ticking. Should have scored early on but blasted home a screamer out of nothing to instill hope in his team.
Oscar: 5
Started on the right and was kept quiet by Santon. Wasn’t effective much when his other attackers moved forward.
Juan Mata: 8
If Chelsea were attacking, the ball would have gone through Mata at least once. Attacked and passed with his usual level of excellence but also helped out in defence very well. Brought other players into the match and was a constant influence in the attack.
Demba Ba: 5
On his return to St. James’ Park he didn’t have a very productive performance. Couldn’t finish of the attack when he was through on goal. Broke his nose after Coloccini kicked him in the face and was subbed off at he half.
SUBSTITUTES
Fernando Torres: 5
Didn’t touch the ball much but was involved in the build up to Chelsa’s second.