A first-half strike Pedro and a second-half goal from Willian, both before the 15th minute of each half respectively, was everything Chelsea needed to get the three points at home against Newcastle. Cieran Clark had previously equalised for The Magpies late in the first half, but it wasn’t enough and they had to settle for another defeat playing on the road.
Despite the tight scoreline, Chelsea looked dominant during this win. They ended the game with 65% of possession while also leading in several attacking stats such as shots, shots on target and corner kicks.
In fact, The Blues only needed nine minutes to break the deadlock in the first half. David Luiz found Pedro – who seems to be playing much better in recent weeks – and the former Barcelona star showcased his quality with an excellent finish. Taking advantage of the fact that Newcastle’s goalkeeper Martin Dubravka was off his line, the Spaniard chipped the ball over the Czech shot-stopper in beautiful fashion.
The remaining minutes of the first half saw Chelsea control the game comfortably, and they could have doubled their tally in the 25th minute thanks to David Luiz. However, the towering defender sent his header wide when he had acres of space inside the box. Chelsea would end up regretting the missed chances, as Newcastle equalised in the 40th minute. A fantastic cross from Matt Ritchie found Clark, and the defender rose higher than everyone to place the ball into the back of the net.
Despite ending the first half squared at 1-1, it was clear Chelsea were the better side and didn’t waste time to recover their advantage after the break. Pedro had two chances, but the Spaniard couldn’t capitalise them. Willian was the one who found the back of the net, though, thanks to an impressive shot following an outstanding solo effort. And just like that, Chelsea were on top of the score once again. This time, though, things wouldn’t change the rest of the way.
Willian and David Luiz had chances for Chelsea, but they weren’t accurate with their final touch. Newcastle didn’t do much overall, but had one final scoring opportunity thanks to Salomon Rondon in the final minutes. The Venezuelan, however, sent his header slightly wide following a decent cross into the box.
All things considered, it was a fair win for Chelsea. And one they truly deserved based on how the game happened.
Match Report
Chelsea: Kepa (6); Azpilicueta (6), Rudiger (6), David Luiz (8), Marcos Alonso (7); Kante (6), Jorginho (7), Kovacic (4) (Barkley (5), 63′); Pedro (8) (Hudson-Odoi (-), 81′), Hazard (6) (Giroud (-), 87′), Willian (7)
Bench not used: Caballero (GK), Emerson, Christensen, Ampadu
Newcastle: Dubravka (6); Yedlin (5) (Manquillo (-), 82′), Lejeune (6), Lascalles (6), Clark (7), Ritchie (6); Ayoze (5) (Murphy (-), 82′), Longstaff (5), Hayden (6), Atsu (6); Rondon (6)
Bench not used: Woodman (GK), Sterry, Fernández, Schär, Joselu
Goals: Pedro (1-0, 9′), Clark (1-1, 40′), Willian (2-1, 57′)
Referee: Chris Kavanagh (England)
Yellow cards: Jorginho (CHE), Ritchie (NEW)
Red cards: None
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