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Optimists among Newcastle’s fan base predicted that with so many players just returned from international service, Chelsea would arrive here fatigued, frail and quite possibly rebellious.
How wrong can you be? Frank Lampard may have worried that Saturday’s lunchtime start would be difficult for his team, but his players looked formidably fresh throughout. In fact, they returned to Newcastle Airport on Saturday afternoon with the adrenaline rush of a team unbeaten in 12 games and on a five-game winning streak in all competitions. Underestimate your title chances at your own risk.
Chelsea moved, at least for a few hours, to the top of the table for the first time since 2018. “We played well and it’s nice, but I’m not going to get excited about being on top for five minutes,” Lampard said. “It is a long season and the Premier League is tough and unforgiving.”
Ask Steve Bruce. At the end of a week, when his predecessor, Rafael Benitez, still much adored at St James’ Park, suggested that he and Newcastle had unfinished business, the home side seemed in danger of conceding virtually every time Chelsea attacked.
“There will always be complaints,” Bruce said. But Chelsea are very, very good. When you get really high on the field, they can really hurt you. “
Chelsea’s impressive center forward Tammy Abraham embodied this threat and came close to opening the scoring after connecting with Hakim Ziyech’s deceptive, curvy delivery before Karl Darlow deflected his header for a corner.
It was a strictly temporary respite. Timo Werner and Mason Mount made the most of that combined play in a short corner maneuver, resulting in Mount crossing and Federico Fernandez poking the ball into his own net under pressure from Ben Chilwell.
Bruce had spent Friday morning rehearsing such dead ball routines, but this time the practice failed to elicit defensive perfection.
Fernandez protested being fouled by Chilwell, but a VAR review confirmed the impression that it was a rather sad appeal and the goal stood.
Thereafter, a litany of visiting opportunities were turned down, saved, or lost by inches. As his teammates chased shadows, Darlow stood out, once again confusing those who feared he might be an unsuitable substitute for the injured Martin Dubravka.
With Werner proving particularly adept at using his glorious change of pace to blend in behind the home line, Chelsea’s only concern must have been that the lead wasn’t more complete. Tellingly, the only real criticism of Werner was his inability to polish a series of invitations to evade Darlow’s reach.
While Chelsea monopolized 85% of the possession in the first half, Newcastle transformed from a nominal back three to the deepest in the last five.
True, the home team missed their injured top scorer, Callum Wilson, but the artistic geometry of the passing and away movement surely dictated that even Wilson would have fought for meaningful touches.
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Sean Longstaff did little wrong in central midfield, tending to be involved in most of Newcastle’s best moments during a marginal improvement in the second half, but could hardly change course alone.
Newcastle’s need to take some attack risk gave Chelsea more room to counterattack. Perhaps inevitably, one of those ruptures preceded Abraham’s shot that flew out from inside a pole.
Appropriately, the creator was Werner. After intercepting a throw-in at home, the German deconstructed the defense again with a marvelous dribble past Longstaff, Fernández and Fabian Schär before providing Abraham with the vital pass.
Longstaff responded by firing an upward shot against the crossbar, but by then any optimism from Geordie was long gone.
