Of course, Sanchez was returned to the starting eleven, it remains to be seen if he’d also be between the sticks against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night. Newcastle away has always been difficult for Chelsea, but the Blues were at home this time, and had a very good track record at home to the Magpies. Until Liam Rosenior came along.Â
Chelsea has now lost a home game to Newcastle for the first time in 14 years. Newcastle conceded very few good chances. In fact, of the 22 shots the away side conceded, just three of them were on target. Three shots that Aaron Ramsdale easily took care of. Reece James lost his marker in the 18th minute, standing in no man’s land while Joe Willick took off to face a helpless Robert Sanchez, who could do nothing about the goal.Â
With some thinking Enzo Fernandez did not deserve to be on the losing side, here are the player ratings from that stunning home defeat to Eddie Howe’s men.
Chelsea player ratings vs Newcastle
Robert Sanchez: 7.5/10
Sanchez was the most reliable player on the pitch against Newcastle. You wonder if Rosenior knows that there ways of evaluating goalkeepers other than goals conceded or scorelines. Sanchez had a very good performance against Eddie Howe’s men, despite not being on the winning side. The only shot the Blues No. 1 did not save was a shot he had no chance to save.
Malo Gusto: 4/10
Gusto almost contributed nothing to the defense. He made one defensive contribution, but with the kind of game Chelsea had, the fullbacks shouldn’t have been passengers. Of course, Gusto was nowhere to be found when the Blues were sliced open on a counter and the keeper was hung out to dry. His crossing was rubbish as well.Â
Trevoh Chalobah: 5/10
Against Newcastle, Chelsea players were particularly horrible in their ground duels. Chalobah, however, simply didn’t bother contesting many of them, which is worse than losing them. His passing was good, and his defending was OK, but he and Fofana didn’t communicate well on the offside trap they were supposed to set for Newcastle, and it led to the goal.
Wesley Fofana: 5/10
Fofana was horrible in his ground duels. No wonder he was taken off in the 82nd minute. He was on a yellow, and with the way the game was going, the Blues No. 29 was headed for a red card. His passing was good and he was busy defensively, but it was a game to forget for the former Leicester defender.
Marc Cucurella: 4/10
Cucurella may not have made it easy for Newcastle, but he didn’t particularly make it difficult. There’s not much to say about his night, but he was poor. He did create chances though, but considering that 19 out of the 22 shots Chelsea created were either blocked or off target, that doesn’t particularly sound like a great achievement.
Reece James: 5/10
James’s passing was good, especially in the final third. He created one of Chelsea’s two big chances in the game. However, he was poor in the midfield. The Blues captain lost all four ground duels he contested, which is a nightmare for a central midfielder. James is usually good in his duels, so it’s noteworthy when he produces a game like this.
Moises Caicedo: 5/10
Caicedo was rubbish in winning the ball back. He only made two defensive contributions, on a night when the Blues midfield was run ragged. His passing was OK, but his overall game was so poor he was subbed off at the hour mark.
Cole Palmer: 7/10
Palmer contributed the most to Rosenior’s men on the night. Though not defensively. He helped create many good chances. His shooting was good too, though he failed to score. He played a big role in creating space for the Blues in the final third, but most of the chances we got as a result were wasted, though they weren’t particularly good chances.Â
Enzo Fernandez: 6/10
Fernandez made two interceptions. Showing that his reading of the game was good. His passing was also very good, completing all four long balls he tried. His crossing was embarrassing, and his shooting left many fans annoyed, as he kept shooting into traffic.
Alejandro Garnacho: 6/10
Garnacho also lost a majority of his duels, and for an attacker that means he didn’t do much dribbling. He created more than Fernandez, though his crossing was equally as bad. These crossing numbers are not actually surprising, especially with a 6ft.7in Dan Burn, 6ft.5in Sven Botman and a 6ft.4in Malick Thiaw in Howe’s backline. They came prepared to deal with crosses, and were going to have none of it.
Joao Pedro: 6/10
Fernandez was not the only one shooting into traffic. Pedro was too. His dribbling didn’t come off, but that’s because Newcastle kept fouling him. The Brazil international won most of his duels, but the opposition defense made sure he didn’t come close enough to hurt them.
Liam Delap (49’): 6/10
Delap…actually had a good game. Though you won't be able to tell going by the comments on social media. His shooting was better than Pedro’s and he actually got a shot on target. He also contested with Newcastle’s defense, which was a difficult thing to do, going by the size alone. He was great in the air too, which is impressive for obvious reasons.
Romeo Lavia (61’): 4/10
Lavia had nearly 30 minutes to make an impact, but he lost every duel he contested in that time. His only contribution to the game were some passes and one interception.
Jorrel Hato (82’): N/A
Hato was sent on in the 82nd minute, but it’s difficult to see the point. A centerback/fullback is not what you need when you’re chasing a game. Especially when he offers no aerial threat. It was a waste of a substitution.
Liam Rosenior: 3/10
The issues are still there. Chelsea keeps the lion share of possession, but in the end, not enough good chances are created for the team to deserve a win. Against Newcastle, the Blues took 22 shots, but just two of them were clear cut chances. What’s more? Just three of them were on target.