Chelsea at Newcastle: Three lessons learnt in tough contest

3. Chelsea and Thomas Tuchel find a way again

64 minutes into the game against Newcastle and it was looking increasingly likely that Saturday was just going to be “one of those days” for the visitors at St. James’ Park. The Blues had been abysmal for large parts of the first half and, despite dominating possession, were uncharacteristically sloppy in the final third. As the match progressed, Newcastle became increasingly entrenched in their final third, with up to eight outfield players positioned within the 18-yard box at various points in the game.

However, just as Chelsea fans began to grow increasingly frustrated at the team’s struggles going forward, the Blues and Tuchel were once again able to find creative solutions to their goal scoring issues. James proceeded to curl in an absolute beauty of a goal through a crowd of players and into the top left corner from a difficult angle 65 minutes into the match to utterly break the Magpies’ resolve. The floodgates subsequently opened and a second from James, coupled with a Jorginho penalty, meant that the Blues came away with a resounding victory Tyneside.

While talk of a title challenge is still rather premature, the team’s consistent ability to produce moments like these is an inherent trait of Premier League champions in the past, present and future. 10 games into the season and Chelsea remains top of the league, five points clear of Manchester City, three points ahead of Liverpool and boasts a goal difference of +23. Talk of winning the title will only get increasingly intense from here on out and the pressure will slowly but surely start to mount on the Blues. It is imperative then that Tuchel and his players continue demonstrating this ability to find wins even in difficult moments—for these are the moments that will ultimately separate the best from the rest.

What are three lessons you learnt in the match? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!