Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle United - 3 Reasons Why Chelsea registered a hard-fought victory against the Magpies | Premier League 2019/20

Chelsea FC v Newcastle United - Premier League
Chelsea FC v Newcastle United - Premier League

Chelsea hosted Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge and the Blues made it five wins on the bounce, courtesy of a second-half strike from Marcos Alonso.

Chelsea went into the game with four consecutive wins in all competitions and the feel-good factor had returned to Stamford Bridge after their recent run of good form.

Newcastle United were involved in the headline result of the Premier League weekend before the international break, as a stunning strike from debutant Matthew Longstaff propelled the Magpies to a historic victory against Manchester United.

N'Golo Kante was unavailable as he continues to recover from a short-term injury and Ross Barkley was drafted into the starting XI in his place.

The Englishman was withdrawn shortly before the half-time whistle in favour of Mateo Kovacic and the Blues looked like a better side in the second half with the Croatian midfielder alongside Jorginho.

Newcastle defended resiliently in the first half despite Chelsea's domination and the Blues were made to wait till the 74th minute for the opening goal of the game.

Marcos Alonso, starting in place of the injured Emerson, latched on to Callum Hudson-Odoi's pass and his low shot found it's way to the back of the net despite Martin Dubravka's best efforts.

As Chelsea registered a hard-fought victory against Newcastle United, let's look at some of the talking points from the game.


#1 Newcastle United looked disjointed upfront

Chelsea FC v Newcastle United - Premier League
Chelsea FC v Newcastle United - Premier League

Brazilian striker Joelinton lead the line as expected, with Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin either side of him. Newcastle's attacking triumvirate looked disjointed as they failed to make an impression on the game.

Almiron's barren run since joining the Premier League on a record-breaking deal continued as the Paraguayan international failed to register a goal or an assist yet again.

While Joelinton was left largely isolated, Saint-Maximin was the only bright spark for the Magpies as the former Nice winger troubled the Chelsea backline with his pace and trickery.

Steve Bruce will hope for his attackers to up their game in the coming weeks as Newcastle attempt to stear further away from the relegation zone.

#2 Callum Hudson-Odoi continues to impress for the Blues

Southampton FC v Chelsea FC - Premier League
Southampton FC v Chelsea FC - Premier League

Callum Hudson-Odoi is back from his long-term injury and the Englishman was quite comfortably the best player on the pitch.

The youngster, who was recently rewarded with a bumper new contract, slotted in seamlessly on the wings and tormented the Newcastle backline with his skill on the ball.

With Tammy Abraham leading the line, Willian and Hudson-Odoi were stationed either side of him. On a day when Willian wasn't at his best and Abraham failed to register his name on the scoresheet, the youngster registered the match-winning assist as Chelsea made it five wins on the trot.

In the wake of his promotion to the first team under Maurizio Sarri, Bayern Munich fought hard to acquire his services and it's not hard to see why Hudson-Odoi is one of the most sought-after young players in world football.

#3 Mateo Kovacic's introduction proved to be vital

Chelsea FC v Liverpool FC - Premier League
Chelsea FC v Liverpool FC - Premier League

In N'Golo Kante's absence, Ross Barkley was chosen to partner Jorignho in the centre of the park and the Englishman failed to make an impression on the game.

Newcastle defended resolutely in the first half and the Blues were unable to find a breakthrough despite dominating possession, which promoted Frank Lampard to make a change.

Barkley, who was struggling with a knock, was withdrawn shortly before the half-time whistle in favour of Mateo Kovacic and the Croatian international was one of the standout players since coming on.

His presence alongside Jorginho buoyed Chelsea on in the second half and gave their attackers the freedom to burst forward without having to worry about their defensive duties.

In a game that was decided by the finest of margins, Kovacic's introduction proved to be instrumental as Chelsea began to dominate proceedings and looked threatening in the second half.

Lampard's substitution, although enforced, did the trick for Chelsea as they registered their fifth consecutive win in all competitions.

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Edited by Kingshuk Kusari