Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle: What Were The Key Talking Points As The Blues Extend On Their Premier League Romp In West London?

Continuing on what has become a real Premier League romp, Chelsea clinched a 2-1 victory against Newcastle on Sunday afternoon.

Seeking an immediate response following on from their 2-1 loss away at Liverpool last weekend, the Blues only took 18 minutes to open the scoring here as Nicolas Jackson notched a sixth Premier League strike of the season.

Although the returning Alexander Isak might have dragged Newcastle level just after the half-hour mark as the Swedish international tapped home from close range, the Magpies were caught cold after returning from the interval.

While the red-hot Cole Palmer might have seen his first-half strike ruled out by VAR, Chelsea’s attacking talisman couldn’t be denied as the 22-year-old doubled Enzo Maresca’s lead just moments after the half-time break.

Chelsea thought they had a late penalty when Christopher Nkunku went down inside the box late on. It was initially given by Simon Hooper, but the decision was overturned by VAR.

Now suffering just a single defeat from any of their previous eight Premier League appearances, the Blues sit just one-point adrift of breaking into the Champions League spots.

On the flip side, continuing on what has become a worrying rut, Newcastle have failed to win any of their last five showdowns against top-flight opposition and they have dropped down to 12th in the table.

On an afternoon when Chelsea claimed an immediate Premier League response, we have taken a look at the key talking points from Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea extend on their Premier League purple patch

Getting a new era underway over the summer as they appointed Maresca as Mauricio Pochettino’s permeant successor, Chelsea are certainly flying high under the former Leicester boss.

While Sunday’s hosts might have marked their return from October’s international break with a 2-1 loss away at Liverpool last weekend, the Blues have only continued on what has become quite the Premier League purple patch.

Picking up some perfect momentum earlier in the week as they stormed their way to a routine 4-1 romp away at Greek outfit Panathinaikos as they made it back-to-back Conference League wins, Chelsea find the mood in their camp at a red-hot high.

With some even billing Chelsea as a potential title dark horse this season, Maresca would have been thrilled by what was another rugged performance in west London here.

Signing off September with an action-packed 4-2 win against Brighton and appearing to have found a major clinical edge in the final third, the Blues have suffered just a single defeat from any of their last eight Premier League appearances – a run that stems back to August 18th.

Palmer dazzles again in SW6

While Palmer might have only arrived at Stamford Bridge last year after leaving Manchester City in the bid to find regular first-team action, the England international has quickly cemented his spot as the poster boy in SW6.

Embarking on what has become a sensational rise to superstardom, Palmer once again stole all of the headlines on Sunday afternoon and was at the heart of everything positive that Chelsea produced here.

Notching a staggering 22 Premier League strikes last season, the former Man City starlet has only continued on from where he left off prior to the summer break and is now widely regarded as one of Europe’s hottest commodities.

Producing a thumping finish here and already registering seven goals and five assists from just his opening nine Premier League appearances, Palmer will be the man to spearhead Chelsea’s Champions League charge.

Already repaying the £40million that Chelsea paid for his services last summer and already a Ballon d’Or contender, the 22-year-old has the world at his feet and was rightfully appointed as Sunday’s Man of the Match in west London.

The pressure mounts on Howe’s shoulders

While Newcastle might have come flying out of the traps when opening up the new campaign and dreaming of the chance to mount another genuine top-four charge, the Magpies have come crashing back down to earth in a worrying fashion.

Marking their return from October’s international break with a toothless performance at St. James’ Park as they slumped to a 1-0 loss at the hands of Brighton, Eddie Howe certainly finds some mounting pressure on his shoulders.

Dropping out the top-half of the Premier League table, there has been plenty of mumblings that the Newcastle hierarchy could be looking to replace the former Bournemouth boss.

Coming under plenty of scrutiny last month as they slumped to a 3-1 drumming away at Fulham, Sunday’s guests have now failed to muster a single victory from any of their previous five consecutive Premier League appearances.

Showing some extended struggles in the final third and registering just a sole top-flight strike in over 300 minutes of action, Howe appears to have a real battle on his hands at St. James’ Park.

Match Report

Chelsea: Sanchez, Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, James, Caicedo, Lavia, Madueke, Palmer, Neto, Jackson

Subs: Cucurella, Fernandez, Mudryk, Nkunku

Newcastle: Pope, Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall, Joelinton, Guimaraes, Tonali, Almiron, Isak, Barnes

Subs: Willock, Longstaff, Kelly, Murphy, Osula

Goals: Chelsea: Jackson (18’), Palmer (47’) – Newcastle: Isak (32’)

Yellow Cards: Chelsea: Sanchez, Lavia, Madueke, Neto, Nkunku – Newcastle: Longstaff, Tonali, Schar

Red Cards: N/A

Referee: Simon Hooper