- Chelsea hosted Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge for a Premier League clash on Saturday afternoon
- It was a close first half, with Chelsea dominating possession but unable to make a breakthrough
- Eventually it was Marcos Alonso who opened the scoring, putting Chelsea ahead in the 73rd minute
- Steve Bruce turned to Andy Carroll to give Newcastle a threat up front but they couldn’t find the equaliser
Frank Lampard led the celebrations after a fifth win in a row when his fast-evolving Chelsea team proved they have the patience and determination to break down teams who will come to Stamford Bridge to defend in numbers.
Marcos Alonso scored the only goal for Lampard’s team, a fizzing drive from an angle to finally break the stubborn resistance of Newcastle.
It was his first of the season, lifting Chelsea into the top four at the final whistle and supplied by 18-year-old Callum Hudson-Odoi who was the most influential attacking player on the pitch.
Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso celebrates scoring Chelsea’s opening goal against Newcastle United with Tammy Abraham
Alonso scored in the 73rd minute with a powerful left foot strike after Chelsea struggled to find the breakthrough all game
Newcastle boss Steve Bruce turned to Andy Carroll to provide his team an outlet up top as they looked for a goal.
Hudson-Odoi’s timely return from serious injury has added another dimension to Lampard’s impressive array of attacking options and he deserved to see some of his creative work pay dividends.
Chelsea dominated possession throughout but found it difficult to penetrate Newcastle’s well-stocked and industrious defensive unit.
The best moments for the home team came when they got Hudson-Odoi onto the ball.
The teenager, deployed on the left, supplied the cross for Willian who missed the target with a header. It was the first clear chance of the game and the Brazilian ought to have found the net.
Mason Mount drew the first save from Martin Dubravka. Collecting a pass from Hudson-Odoi with his back to goal, Mount spun neatly and unleashed a crisp effort on the turn. Dubravka flung up his right hand and beat the ball away.
Chelsea’s Willian reacts after a missed chance during the Premier League match against Newcastle United on Saturday
Allan Saint-Maximin of Newcastle ends up on his knees as he wants a free kick during the match against Chelsea
Newcastle’s Saint-Maximin runs with the ball pursues by Mason Mount of Chelsea as the teams look to break the deadlock
Newcastle, with the Longstaff brothers again in the heart of midfield, worked hard to protect their goalkeeper. There were moments when they flickered and threatened on the break, helped at times by some careless distribution by Chelsea as they played out of defence.
Allan Saint-Maximin caused early problems when able to run at Cesar Azpilicueta with his explosions of pace and a blur of step-overs, although without producing anything to go down as a chance or an attempt at goal. The closest the visitors came to troubling Kepa Arrizabalaga was a header wide from Joelinton as he stretched to reach a cross from Saint-Maximin.
Lampard selected five English starters – the most for Chelsea since March 2013 – but Ross Barkley was forced off with an injury before half-time. Barkley had required treatment for a knock on the ankle in the opening seconds and struggled on until three minutes before the interval when he was replaced by Mateo Kovacic.
Steve Bruce gives his Newcastle players some instructions from the sidelines as they look to get something out of the game
Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham contests for the ball with Newcastle’s Fabian Schar during the first half of the match
Chelsea’s Ross Barkley shows off his injury to manager Frank Lampard after he was substituted during the first half
For almost an hour, Tammy Abraham was subdued by Jamal Lascelles. His only glimpse of goal in the first half came when he charged down a clearance by Dubravka who was fortunate to see the rebound swerved away to safety.
Then, Abraham climbed high in a crowd to beat Ciaran Clark to a corner taken by Willian and headed against the bar. He headed another corner over from six yards having again evaded the attention of Clark as Newcastle were forced back.
An ambitious overhead kick by Fikayo Tomori drifted wide and Fabian Schar cleared low cross by Mount.
Christian Pulisic had only been on for a few seconds when the ball spilled to him in front of goal after another foray into the box by Hudson-Odoi. After a difficult start to his career at Stamford Bridge, this was a rare chance to make an impact. Unfortunately for Pulisic his shot from close range was smothered by Dubravka.
Saint-Maximin goes down in pain as Willian protests to the referee after making a tackle during the Premier League match
There was a little bit of excitement during the first half when referee Andre Marriner accidentally fell to the ground
Marcos Alonso, Mason Mount, Willian, and Jorginho of Chelsea discuss their tactics for the upcoming free-kick
Another save denied Willian before the Newcastle ‘keeper was finally beaten.
Hudson-Odoi collected a pass from Pulisic and eased a pass to Alonso, charging forward from left-back to fire a low drive across Dubravka and into the far corner.
Abraham thought he had his goal to make it 2-0 only to be frustrated by a fabulous sliding clearance by DeAndre Yedlin.
Clark was close to an equaliser, heading onto roof of net from a cross by Christian Atsu but Chelsea held on for the points.
Newcastle United’s Dutch defender Jetro Willems vies with Chelsea’s Canadian-born English defender Fikayo Tomori
Newcastle United’s goalkeeper Martin Dubravka gestures to his team-mates during the second half of the match
Manager Frank Lampard celebrates the goal after what was a frustrating first hour for the Chelsea team
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