Chelsea labored to a disappointing 1–0 defeat against Newcastle United as their hopes of Champions League qualification took another blow.
Chelsea dominated the early exchanges at Stamford Bridge but found themselves trailing when Anthony Gordon punished some abysmal defending to open the scoring. Frustrations grew around the ground as the Blues struggled to muster a response, a smattering of boos greeting the half-time whistle.
Newcastle proved impenetrable after the restart despite Chelsea dominating the territory, the Blues failing to conjure any decisive magic in the final third and rarely troubling Aaron Ramsdale in between the posts. A half-hearted penalty appeal for a foul on Cole Palmer and Reece James’s late strike off the woodwork were the only exciting moments of a tepid second half.
Another underwhelming performance and result means Chelsea missed the opportunity to move up to third before Sunday’s action, instead remaining in fifth place and three points behind Aston Villa and Manchester United.
The Problem That Won’t Go Away
Clean sheets have been at a premium for Chelsea since the arrival of Liam Rosenior. Saturday marked the club’s 17th fixture under their latest manager and just three shutouts have been celebrated over that period, a mixture of individual errors, disciplinary issues and generally apathetic defending having been the source of Chelsea’s recent struggles.
Gordon’s early goal in west London epitomized their issues as one simple through ball sliced open a misshapen defensive line, Trevoh Chalobah caught out of position and Reece James in no man’s land as Joe Willock burst through before teeing up his clubmate. It adds to a litany of soft goals gifted to opponents, the recent surrender of five at Paris Saint-Germain an example of negligent Chelsea defending.
Goalkeeping mistakes have stolen the headlines lately but others in Chelsea’s rearguard must take responsibility. Wesley Fofana’s performances have been erratic, Malo Gusto rarely convinces in his own third and even Chalobah has not been immune to lapses in concentration. Rosenior must do something to tighten things up.
After another blunder proved costly, Chelsea’s defense were desperate for their forward teammates to spare their blushes. However, not for the first time in recent weeks, the Blues looked toothless when greeted with a low block, Newcastle sinking deeper and deeper as they edged closer to the final whistle.
There was little functioning as it should at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s porous defense and tame attack sinking to another defeat.
Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Newcastle (4-2-3-1)
GK: Robert Sánchez—7.2: Under a harsh spotlight following recent gaffes from himself and fellow goalkeeper Filip Jörgensen, Sánchez came through the match unscathed despite never instilng confidence in those around him.
RB: Malo Gusto—6.7: Despite having done little wrong, Gusto was sacrificed at half time for attacking reinforcements.
CB: Wesley Fofana—6.6: After being sent off on his most recent home appearance and shipping five midweek, Fofana did little to restore his reputation during a nervy showing.
CB: Trevoh Chalobah—6.9: Adopted an odd position as Willock raced through to assist Gordon, leaving a gaping hole in the defense by moving wide. Rarely tested afterward.
LB: Marc Cucurella—7.2: Advanced up the left wing as the match progressed and caused some issues when creating overloads in the final third.
DM: Reece James—7.7: Arguably fortunate to avoid giving away a penalty in the first half having failed to cover himself in glory for Gordon’s tap-in. In possession, however, he was typically excellent during a first outing since his contract extension.
DM: Moisés Caicedo—6.6: Forced to walk a tightrope after his booking—a ninth in the league this season, with one more leading to a two-game ban—and was withdrawn after an hour to combat an increasingly fatigued display.
RW: Cole Palmer—6.9: Spent the majority of his time in central pockets in between the lines and looked Chelsea’s most likely source of inspiration despite still operating below his usual standards.
AM: Enzo Fernández—7.1: Failed to unpick a resilient Newcastle rearguard in either his attacking or deep-lying midfield role. Worryingly quiet for much of the encounter.
LW: Alejandro Garnacho—6.8: Aimed to build on his recent purple patch and while there were shoots of encouragement, Garanacho was unable to deliver a meaningful contribution.
ST: João Pedro—6.3: Isolated during a tame attacking performance in the opening 45 minutes and endured similar struggles when taking up the No.10 position after the break.
SUB: Liam Delap (46’ for Gusto)—6.4: Spurned some half chances after his introduction and didn’t cause many problems for Newcastle’s center backs.
SUB: Roméo Lavia (61’ for Caicedo)—6.3: Passed from side to side, rarely moving the ball forward.
SUB: Jorrel Hato (83’ for Fofana)—N/A
Subs not used: Teddy Sharman-Lowe (GK), Benoît Badiashile, Mamadou Sarr, Tosin Adarabioyo, Andrey Santos, Marc Guiu.
What the Ratings Tell Us
- João Pedro’s form has been undeniably exceptional since Rosenior’s appointment, both in terms of his goalscoring exploits and general center forward play, but the Brazilian looked understandably tired on Saturday. More is required from Liam Delap to ease the burden on his fellow summer recruit, the Englishman offering little against Newcastle after being drafted in at half time.
- Chelsea’s center backs hardly inspired confidence at Stamford Bridge despite Newcastle’s forays forward being rare. Wesley Fofana looked particularly shaky and a yellow card for hauling down Gordon summed up an unconvincing evening, with Rosenior perhaps assessing his other defensive options ahead of PSG’s upcoming visit.
- Questions will persist over Robert Sánchez vs. Filip Jörgensen in the goalkeeping department, but the former managed to avoid any notable mistakes against the Magpies. One questionable pass was the worst it got for the Spaniard.
The Numbers That Explain Chelsea’s Frustrations
- Chelsea rattled 22 shots at the Newcastle goal, yet only three were on target. Despite their desperate search for an equalizer, a lack of attacking quality resulted in another defeat.
- The Blues had 22 more touches in the opposition box than their visitors but seldom seriously threatened Ramsdale’s goal. They were unable to find enough room in a jam-packed Newcastle penalty area.
- After just one win from five Premier League games, Chelsea are in serious jeopardy of missing out on re-entry to the Champions League. They can only blame themselves in that eventuality.
| Statistic | Chelsea | Newcastle |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 67% | 33% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 1.43 | 1.42 |
| Total Shots | 22 | 7 |
| Shots on Target | 3 | 5 |
| Big Chances | 2 | 1 |
| Passing Accuracy | 92% | 78% |
| Fouls Committed | 9 | 10 |
| Corners | 8 | 1 |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Newcastle: Toothless Blues Suffer Major Blow in Champions League Race.
