Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle: Player ratings as Kai Havertz seals late win
By Sean Walsh
Chelsea just about secured a 1-0 win over Newcastle after a tough and testing clash at Stamford Bridge.
Thomas Tuchel's side found it tough to break Eddie Howe's men down, but an 89th-minute strIke from Kai Havertz saw them take all three points.
A tight and tense opening period saw little in the way of chances, with Fabian Schar's header across goal - only for it to be cut out by Edouard Mendy - after 25 minutes the closest either side came to opening the scoring.
Havertz similarly flashed a cross right through the six yard box at the other end before Mason Mount whipped a free-kick into the side-netting, fooling half of Stamford Bridge that it had in fact gone the right side of the post.
A glancing header from Dan Burn nearly dropped into net, and the lofty centre-back was in the wars soon after when he received an elbow in the face from Havertz. The German received a yellow card for the challenge, a decision which remained following a VAR check.
Miguel Almiron's 20-yard volley forced Mendy into a stunning save at the end of the first half and the two sides went into the break goalless.
Newcastle had the first half-chance after the interval when Bruno Guimaraes sliced a shot narrowly wide, while referee David Coote was unmoved by Jacob Murphy's claims for a penalty when hauled down by Trevoh Chalobah.
Chelsea had a penalty shout of their own when Martin Dubravka brought down Timo Werner, but the German had been flagged for a marginal offside.
After failing to threaten for 76 minutes, Chelsea should have taken the lead when Hakim Ziyech's cross was placed delicately onto the head of Havertz, but he was unable to steer the ball either side of Dubravka who held it comfortably.
And with stoppage time looming, Havertz finally found the back of the net when Jorginho played a sumptuous ball over the top of the Newcastle backline, and this time the Germany international held his nerve to slot past Dubravka to steal the win.
Chelsea player ratings
1. Goalkeeper & defenders
Edouard Mendy (GK) - 6/10 - As reliable as ever, of course.
Trevoh Chalobah (RB) - 3/10 - Offered so little on the ball and on the overlap. Very lucky not to have given away a spot kick.
Andreas Christensen (CB) - 6/10 - A fairly quiet day for Christensen amid the chaos around him.
Antonio Rudiger (CB) - 8/10 - Opened Newcastle up with a few long-range passes and forays into the opposition half.
Malang Sarr (LB) - 3/10 - Similar game to Chalobah; these two just aren't full-backs.
2. Midfielders
Jorginho (CM) - 6/10 - Pressed into oblivion and was largely a hinderance until he picked out Havertz late on with a superb pass over the top.
N'Golo Kante (CM) - 6/10 - Ran the hard yards but to little avail.
Mason Mount (AM) - 4/10 - Popped up with moments of ingenuity at times but they were far too infrequent.
3. Forwards
Hakim Ziyech (RW) - 6/10 - Looked lively when involved, but that wasn't enough.
Kai Havertz (CF) - 8/10 - The protagonist of the afternoon. Lucky not to be sent off, missed a gilt-edged chance, but scored a vital winner late on.
Timo Werner (LW) - 2/10 - Goodness me. Failed to complete the basics and he didn't even look threatening off the ball, let alone on it.
4. Substitutes
Romelu Lukaku (CF, 64' for Werner) - 4/10 - Very, very quiet.
Mateo Kovacic (CM, 64' for Mount) - 7/10 - Helped Chelsea take control of the game.
Christian Pulisic (LM, 78' for Sarr) - 4/10
Newcastle player ratings
5. Goalkeeper & defenders
Martin Dubravka (GK) - 4/10 - Very fortunate that Werner was offside by an armpit hair when released through on goal.
Javier Manquillo (RB) - 5/10 - Caused some menace heading up the pitch but was guilty of breaking Newcastle's offside trap.
Fabian Schar (CB) - 7/10 - Excellent and would totally be deserving of a new deal should he be offered one.
Jamaal Lascelles (CB) - 6/10 - Led from the back excellently.
Dan Burn (CB) - 6/10 - In the wars and the bad books of Chelsea fans for his altercations with Havertz, eventually losing his battle to the German.
Matt Targett (LB) - 6/10 - Helped plenty in doubling up on Chalobah. Never stopped running and won a number of fouls.
6. Midfielders
Miguel Almiron (RM) - 5/10 - Pressed very well and dug in defensively but lacked end product.
Sean Longstaff (CM) - 6/10 - Gave his all in midfield.
Bruno Guimaraes (CM) - 7/10 - Looked right at home again on his second successive start for Newcastle.
Jacob Murphy (LM) - 7/10 - Gave Chalobah all sorts of problems and probably should have won a penalty.
7. Forward
Chris Wood (CF) - 4/10 - Led the press effectively but didn't have much luck in front of goal.
8. Substitutes
Allan Saint-Maximin (LM, 69' for Almiron) - 5/10
Ryan Fraser (RM, 90' for Murphy) - N/A
Dwight Gayle (CF, 90' for Manquillo) - N/A