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Match Reports

Chelsea vs Newcastle Match Report

10 years ago
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Chelsea vs Newcastle Match Report

Chelsea 3 Newcastle United 0 Saturday 1 February 3pm

Today had a Lille ring to it, as Eden Hazard scored a quality hat-trick which finished Newcastle off well before the final whistle.

Hazard’s ex-teammate Yohan Cabaye is obviously off to pastures new, while the third former Lille player, Mathieu Debuchy, landed awkwardly and had to come off in the first half.

It might have taken Chelsea 27 minutes to break the deadlock but you did get the feeling that the blues were simply working the black and whites into a position where they could then land the knockout blow. A bit like a boxer pushing his opponent further and further back until he’s on the ropes and finally has nowhere else to go.

United had some tidy enough bits of possession in the early stages but the home side did seem happy to stay in second gear, maybe if Newcastle had sneaked an early goal it would have given them something to think about but for the sixth time in the last seven Premier League matches, United failed to score.

In the lead up to that opening goal, Chelsea had started to really work the Newcastle defence/midfield, quickly shifting the ball and creating a number of openings on the edge of the box. Krul made one or two comfortable saves but the shooting was steadily getting more accurate.

One such flowing move ended up with Hazard’s movement losing Santon and the Chelsea midfielder gave Krul no chance with a precise finish from 15 yards.

The second pointed towards United’s fragile nature, a Newcastle corner leading to a breakaway and via cleaver intricate passing it was in the back of our net only seconds later.

The killer second closely followed a golden chance for Sissoko who showed anything but a striker’s instinct as he deliberated after being sent clear by Santon, Cech smothering his and NUFC’s chances.

Hazard completed his hat-trick with sixty three minutes on the clock after a brainless bit of defending by Mapou. The French defender wrestling Eto’o to the ground as a corner came over, right in front of referee Howard Webb, Hazard coolly stroked home the penalty. Mapou was on the pitch as another United player bit the dust, Debuchy injured as he made an aerial challenge and landed awkwardly.

Krul almost followed him off the pitch with a long ball skidding off the pitch and over his head as one foot gave way on the wet surface and the Dutch keeper’s foot ending up under his body at a bad looking angle.

The home side cruised through the second half with substitutes Marveaux and Gosling showing just how wafer thin the squad is.

Marveaux should have actually grabbed a late consolation but somehow put it wide when it was easier to score.

Plus points? Pardew praised Sammy Ameobi and Dummett but sadly they looked way out of their depth, while elsewhere in the side it was hard to make much of a case for anybody, although the team kept at it until the final whistle. De Jong had a couple of half chances and his movement gave a bit of hope, a big ask though for somebody low on confidence and pitch-time to take over the whole burden of trying to threaten Cech’s goal.

Newcastle: Krul, Debuchy (Mapou 40), Steven Taylor, Williamson, Dummett, Santon, Anita (Marveaux 84), Sissoko,Sammy Ameobi, Ben Arfa (Gosling 64), De Jong

Unused Subs: Elliot, Haidara, Shola, Armstrong

Ref: Howard Webb

Crowd: 41,387 (2,200 Newcastle)

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