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Chelsea held their nerve to secure a thrilling 3-2 win over Newcastle United in the Premier League on Monday, March 11.
The Blues entered this contest on the back of a decent run of form. With two wins, two draws, and a defeat in the Carabao Cup final, they were well-placed ahead of this game.
They came from behind to secure a 2-2 draw at Brentford in their last league outing. Mauricio Pochettino made two changes to that lineup as Levi Colwill and Ben Chilwell made way for Marc Cucurella and Raheem Sterling. The Argentine also went from a 3-5-2 setup to a more conventional 4-2-3-1 against Newcastle.
Chelsea made a great start to the game and looked to take the initiative as they pushed Newcastle into their own half. Cole Palmer created the first chance of the game as his shot took a touch off Nicolas Jackson, who claimed the goal to make it 1-0 after just six minutes.
Newcastle suffered a casualty in terms of personnel as Anthony Gordon was subbed off and replaced by Jacob Murphy. However, things were not that bad for the Magpies as Alexander Isak brought them level in the 43rd minute. The Swede received a pass from Bruno Guimaraes and adjusted his body perfectly to curl one into the bottom-right corner to make it 1-1.
Chelsea and Newcastle were tied at the break.
Cole Palmer gave Chelsea the ideal start to the second half as he scored a wonderful goal 12 minutes after the restart. Enzo Fernandez laid the ball off to Palmer, whose shot caught Martin Dubravka by surprise as the ball rifled into the net. Substitute Mykhaylo Mudryk then made an instant impact, scoring just five minutes after coming on to make it 3-1 with some intricate footwork.
Newcastle did not give up and fought until the final whistle. Jacob Murphy gave Eddie Howe's men a glimmer of hope with his thunderous strike in the dying embers to make it 3-2. He received the ball from Lewis Miley on the right side and struck it sweetly and powerfully into the roof of the net from 20 yards out. However, it was too little, too less as the Blues held on to win.
That said, let's take a look at Chelsea's player ratings.
Chelsea Player Ratings
Dorde Petrovic - 6.5/10
Petrovic made one save in the game and was also booked for time-wasting in the second half.
Malo Gusto - 7/10
Gusto had a lovely game on the right flank for the Blues. He passed the ball with 83% accuracy, including one cross. He also won six duels, making four clearances, four tackles and three interceptions.
Axel Disasi - 7/10
Disasi was solid in defence as he won five duels, making four tackles, including one last-man challenge. He also made one interception and played four long balls.
Trevoh Chalobah - 6.5/10
Chalobah had a decent game for his team in defence to to deny Newcastle too many chances.
Marc Cucurella - 7/10
Cucurella was highly active on the left flank but was unable to play his natural attacking game due to Newcastle's possession. The Spaniard was solid in defence, winning seven duels and making six tackles and two interceptions.
Enzo Fernandez - 7.5/10
Fernandez passed the ball with 85% accuracy, including one assist for Chelsea's second goal. He also won six duels, making three tackles and one interception as well.
Moises Caicedo - 7/10
Caicedo passed the ball with 92% accuracy and won seven duels, making five interceptions and four tackles. However, he was booked for a foul in the second half.
Cole Palmer - 8.5/10
Palmer started the game strong and was awarded an assist as his attempted shot took a touch off Jackson for the first goal. He scored his team's second goal with a lovely shot in the 57th minute.
Conor Gallagher - 7/10
Gallagher passed the ball with 97% accuracy, including an assist for Mudryk's goal in the second half. He also made three tackles and two interceptions.
Raheem Sterling - 6.5/10
Sterling looked off-color for Chelsea and was booked in the first half for a foul.
Nicolas Jackson - 7.5/10
Jackson had a great game as he scored an early goal. He also won nine duels and played one key pass.
Substitutes
Mykhaylo Mudryk - 7.5/10
Mudryk made an instant impact as he scored just five minutes after coming on.
Cesare Casadei & Carney Chukwuemeka - N/A
The pair came on late in the game and did not play enough minutes to warrant a rating.
