Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Newcastle United in their final Premier League match before the World Cup break. Former Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock’s second half thunderbolt was the difference at St. James’ Park on Saturday evening.
The Blues were under pressure to impress as they travelled north this weekend after failing to win in their previous four league matches. However, it was Newcastle that went into the match as favourites as they sat fourth in the Premier League table.
Graham Potter’s side were at a disavantage only six minutes in when Ruben Loftus-Cheek was forced off with an injury and was replaced by Thiago Silva. The Blues really struggled to get going on Tyneside and only managed two shots on target in 90 minutes - with Potter choosing to leave Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the bench throughout.
Chelsea had looked like they were clawing their way back into the game on the hour mark before the Magpies snatched the only goal of the game. While Eddie Howe’s side defended well, the Blues struggled to provide much of a threat to their backline. After another disappointing result, here is how we rated the Chelsea players today.
9. Mateo Kovacic - 4
Chelsea’s midfield was dominated by Newcastle and the Croatian was sloppy for the 90 minutes.. | Getty Images
10. Mason Mount - 5
A very impressive work rate as usual, however the midfielder looked nowhere near his best. | Getty Images
11. Armando Broja - 6
The forward showed glimmers of hope but struggled to make an impact against Sven Botman. | AFP via Getty Images
12. Marc Cucurella - 6
The wing-back provided some good crosses after he was brought onto replace Lewis Hall. | Getty Images