Super second half Willian strike sees Chelsea edge past Newcastle

 

Eden Hazard started as a false nine. Again. Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat to Tottenham highlighted Chelsea’s need for a striker, that defeat coming as Hazard started as the focal point in a 4-3-3 formation, yet Maurizio Sarri elected to have the Belgian lead the attack for the welcome of Newcastle, with Olivier Giroud on the bench. Alvaro Morata, who was fit again following injury, didn’t even make the squad. 

 

If the midweek Carabao Cup loss proved anything, it was that Chelsea needed a quick start if they were to secure all three points and they got just that courtesy of Pedro. David Luiz spotted the run of the winger behind the Newcastle defence and played a perfectly weighted raking pass for the Spaniard. He collected the ball and lofted over Martin Dubravka to notch his seventh league goal of the campaign. 

 

Chelsea had the platform to make home advantage count, but despite dominating possession, the hosts failed to muster the clear chances to take the initiative. David Luiz saw a header from a free-kick deflected over the bar after Matt Ritchie had fouled Cesar Azpilicueta, but it was Newcastle who showed the greater impetus to score the crucial second goal of the game. They were twice unable to beat Kepa in the space of three minutes. Florian Lejeune saw a bouncing volley saved comfortably by the Chelsea showstopper before Salomon Rondon dragged a powerful effort wide after good link up play with Christian Atsu. 

 

Ayoze Perez then stabbed wide from 18 yards after a good knock on by Rondon with the former pressured into taking his chance early by Azpilicueta. Newcastle, though, weren’t made to rue this missed opportunities as Ciaran Clark headed the Magpies level five minutes before the break after he rose highest to power Ritchie’s corner beyond Kepa. Chelsea came close to restoring their advantage seconds after kick off, but Willian was unable to turn past Dubravka from 12 yards. 

 

Two minutes into the second half and Pedro forced Dubravka into a smart save for a Chelsea corner, which the home side were unable to capitalise upon, in part due to Atsu, who took the ball off of Luiz’s foot after the Brazilian was teed up by Marcos Alonso. Pedro was then picked up excellently by Alonso, but his effort trickled into the hands of Dubravka as Chelsea sought to restore their one-goal advantage. 

 

That second came just before the hour mark as Willian curled a beautiful effort past Dubravka after some slack Newcastle defending, with the Brazilian notching his first Premier League goal since Chelsea’s 4-0 win over Burnley in October as DeAndre Yedlin gifted the Chelsea star the space to pick his spot. Willian came close to adding his second and Chelsea’s third halfway through the second half as Luiz played another sublime long ball. Dubravka this time was equal to Willian’s effort as he palmed the ball behind for a corner after the 30-year-old attempted to lob the Newcastle shotstopper. 

 

With five minutes to play, Javier Manquillo put in a lovely cross for Rondon, who got the better of Azpilicueta in the air, but the Newcastle forward could only head wide from close range. Newcastle wasted a late corner to level matters as they ended the day inside the relegation as results earlier in the day went against them. Chelsea made what should have been a routine victory harder than it looked on paper too as they moved to within one point of Tottenham in third. 

 

 

The win too marked what was Hazard’s second worst rated performance in a Premier League match as the Belgian secured a WhoScored rating of just 6.82. Granted, the Belgian provided the assist for Willian’s winner, that ensuring he became the first player to reach double figures for both goals (10) and assists (10) in the Premier League this season, but by playing him as a false nine, Chelsea lose the attacking thrust he injects into the final third when he cuts in from the left. 

 

Against a Newcastle side that set up to frustrate the host - Rafa Benitez started five defenders - space was always going to be at a premium for Hazard and by playing him through the middle, he was unable to grab the game by the scruff of the neck to put the Newcastle backline to the sword. The sooner Chelsea sign a new striker, then, the better it’ll be for the team and, in particular, Hazard, who endured another frustrating performance as the lead striker.

Super second half Willian strike sees Chelsea edge past Newcastle