Chelsea survived the infamous trip to St. James’ Park, beating Newcastle 2-0. How did each individual perform in the win?
St. James’ Park is a notoriously tricky venue on Chelsea’s calendar. The home of Newcastle usually causes issues for the Blues, but rest assured, there was no stumbling this time around. A few shaky moments—sure, I’ll give you that—however, Frank Lampard’s men were commanding for the entirety of the contest.
It’s a Premier League weekend with plenty of big name bouts, so the opportunity for the Blues to move up in the table is there. The win saw Chelsea enjoy the league’s top spot until Spurs’ victory over Man City. Regardless, the importance of this weekend was to capitalize on the chance to jump on the league leaders and stay the course with others. The Blues did just that. The unbeaten run is now approaching double digits (the Spurs match counts as a loss in my eyes, let’s not cut corners for the sake of exaggeration) and the clean sheet streak has begun again. Chelsea played pretty well overall, but how did each individual score throughout the match?
Edouard Mendy (Goalkeeper): 7.5
All Edouard Mendy does is rack up clean sheets. The last match against Sheffield United showed he can concede—a shocking development in his early Chelsea career—that is now forgotten though. The Senegalese shot stopper used the match on Tyneside as a catalyst to spark another clean sheet streak. He was called into action a few times with the Magpies threatening in the final third. In the end, everything was comfortable for Mendy as only one shot managed to be on target. The importance of a calming presence between the sticks cannot be understated.
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Reece James (Right back): 8
Reece James is a tank. Many use that as a metaphor, but at this point, I’m convinced he has superhuman abilities. Anybody who watched this game was lucky enough to witness James fend off two attackers at once and toy with the Magpies on multiple occasions.
It takes a lot to dethrone Cesar Azpilicueta of a starting spot in general, and James has gone above and beyond. The best right back in England, anyone? Oh yeah, I almost forgot to remind you all, he’s still 20 years young.
Kurt Zouma (Centerback): 8.5
Kurt Zouma’s always been one of the most talented centerbacks in England. His catastrophic ACL injury was a major setback in his development, but even Jose Mourinho will be quick to tell you he’s an elite centerhalf. The one thing the Frenchman needed to add to his game was consistency. It’s now safe to say he’s added that and sprinkled in some other traits—like an elite aerial presence and scoring instinct. Even without this year’s partner in crime—Thiago Silva—playing alongside him, Zouma still stole the show. The 26-year-old is looking like he’s finally settled into life at Stamford Bridge, boy are we lucky.
Antonio Rudiger (Centerback): 7
Antonio Rudiger has gone from the doghouse to being Chelsea’s No. 3 option at centerback in the matter of a few weeks. The German was the worst performer at the back today, and he played quite well. Rudiger’s seemingly loving life with Mendy in behind. His mistakes have been minimized and he’s found his precise passing touch once again. Silva will still slot in ahead of him, but it’s nice to know the Blues have a sound defender to turn to should one of the starters find themselves amongst the reserves for a short stint.
Ben Chilwell (Left back): 7.5
Ben Chilwell was a somewhat surprising inclusion in the starting XI after aggravating his back on international duty. The English fullback was fit enough to feature and thank goodness for that. The drop off between Chilwell and the other options at left back is gargantuan, so it was important to have the £50 million man back for a tough match away from home. He pressured Federico Fernandez within the opening 10 minutes of the match, forcing the Newcastle defender to knock the ball into the back of his own net. For all intents and purposes, Chilwell played a massive part in today’s victory.
Emerson (Left back): N/A
Emerson came on in the 81′ to allow Chilwell to rest for a bit. One can’t help but think if the Blues’ lead was bigger, this switch would’ve been made sooner. Emerson continued to prove what we already know: he’s got pace and a knack for defensive errors. One can’t help but feel for Emerson though; for the sake of his happiness, let’s hope he is granted a move back to Italy in January.
N’Golo Kante (Defensive midfielder): 9
I’m seriously running out of good things to say about N’Golo Kante. Usually, this would frustrate many people, but I’m over the moon about it. Kante is giving a metaphorical middle finger to all of those who labeled him washed or finished.
The French midfielder is back in his best role as a sole central defensive midfielder. His world class ability as the anchor terrifies opponents. One can try anything to stop the lovable little midfielder—see above photo—but at the end of the day, other teams are forced to accept the fact he’s simply better than they are. Kante is at the top of his game and if it wasn’t for Tammy Abraham’s goal in the second half, he would’ve run away with the Man of the Match award. Lampard has finally figured out the midfield with Kante’s presence proving to be crucial.
Mateo Kovacic (Central midfielder): 8
Mateo Kovacic stole the show over the international break with not one, but two (!!) goals for Croatia. Coupled with his pre-break performance for Chelsea, this got Blues fans excited and wondering if he’s finally added goals to his repertoire. The mystery is yet to be solved. While he didn’t have his shooting boots against Newcastle, he continued to impress in Kai Havertz’s absence. If nothing else, this run of matches has proved that last year’s Player of the Season still has a crucial role around SW6, despite the plethora of new additions.
Mason Mount (Central midfielder): 8
Mason Mount didn’t find the back of the net today, but he came pretty close. If we’re being technical, he was the last Chelsea player to touch the ball before the opening goal. It was Mount’s cross that flung off Fernandez’s leg for the opener on a training ground corner kick routine. Aside from that isolated incident, Mount was superb all day long. He was a part of a three-man midfield that worked as hard as any all season. If the Blues are able to get this sort of production from the middle of the park in every match, it’s hard to see them not dominating any foe they face.
Hakim Ziyech (Right winger): 7.5
Hakim Ziyech is a treat to watch, isn’t he? Chelsea’s most underwhelming signing of the summer—in the eyes of many—is turning into one of the Blues’ most vital cogs. The Wizard provides the magic in the attack, opening up a world of possibilities with his lethal left foot. Even in games like this one where he doesn’t get directly involved in the events on the scoresheet, he’s a key player. Ziyech and James are developing something special on the right. Seeing as the holidays are just around the corner, let’s all be thankful this Moroccan wears the Chelsea badge.
Tammy Abraham (Striker): 9
Many were quick to rule Abraham out after his abysmal return to play toward the end of the last campaign. However, even with his position being threatened by the signings of Timo Werner and Ziyech, Abraham has risen to the challenge. His hold-up play is a notable area of growth, but possibly the biggest improvement to his game is his positioning. Abraham was wherever he needed to be at St. James’ Park, eventually being rewarded with a goal for his hard work. Abraham still has some room to go, it’s hard to deny his obvious progression though.
Timo Werner (Left winger): 6
Werner tried to do his best Alvaro Morata impression on the day. The German striker missed a few sitters and when he did manage to find the back of the net, he was ruled offside. Werner also showed why he is much, much different than Morata though. Despite a bad day at the office, he managed to orchestrate a phenomenal counterattack that saw the Blues double their lead.
On a more serious note, not every day will be this frustrating for Werner. He’s bound to have some matches where he won’t score, but the important thing is he still played a part in creating another goal. The Blues have a special talent on their hands, even on days like yesterday.
Callum Hudson-Odoi (Left winger): N/A
Hudson-Odoi got a 20-minute cameo after coming on in the 76′ for Werner. He was lively in attack, involving himself in the few chances the Blues got as full-time neared. One has to imagine we’ll see the English youngster get a start sooner rather than later after his solid showing today and the production he had with the England U21s during the break.
Olivier Giroud (Striker): N/A
Olivier Giroud managed a measly five minutes, awarding Ziyech with an early departure. He failed to really involve himself in anything notable as the Blues let the clock wind down and preserve a clean sheet.
What rating would you give to each of the players? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!