Newcastle once again scored four goals in a Premier League game and once again there were four different scorers.
Newcastle made Chelsea look bang average at St James' Park today coming away deserved 4-1 winners in a game that had a bit of everything.
Chelsea saw one of their men sent off after picking up two stupid yellow cards while Newcastle went on to control the game like it was a training exercise. There were many contenders for our Player Of The Match, but we once again with Starboy Malfoy Anthony Gordon who just keeps getting better for Newcastle.
The giant goalkeeper made an immense save from Fernández at 1–1 that can't be ignored, but he was rooted to the spot for Sterling's equaliser, and his kicking was even worse than usual. He especially got away with murder when gifting the ball to Gallagher in the first half.
This was a return to form for Trippier, who dealt with the significant threat of Sterling excellently on the whole and offered plenty in possession, on the overlap, and from set pieces. The only blot on his copybook was the cheap foul he gave away for the equaliser.
The captain made amends for his error for the equaliser with one of the most important goals of the season so far. There was no doubt he was finding the net when he got free in the box from Gordon's cross and he finished well. He defended solidly throughout, too.
This was a bit of a stroll in the park for our number five and he almost scored another world-class goal late on when waltzing through what seemed like a sea of blue shirts before being denied by a great save from Sanchez. He deserved a clean sheet for his overall display.
It was a surprise to see him starting on the left rather than the right but he looked totally unfazed against his former club. John Anderson called him a "Rolls Royce" on Total Sport after the game and said he could probably play anywhere on the pitch. It's hard to disagree.
You'd never have guessed this was his full home debut at St James' Park because he looked like he'd played 100 games at the cathedral on the hill. His pass for Isak's opener was a thing of beauty and showed a composure far, far beyond his years. He's going to be some player.
The Brazilian relishes games like this and he stepped up to the plate big time in the absence of Tonali, Longstaff, and Willock. He won 10/13 duels and three free-kicks, made numerous Chelsea players look silly, and was always trying to thread people in with through balls.
The early part of his game was punctuated by moments of loose control and sloppy passes. When he missed the headed chance from Trippier's delivery in the first half it seemed like it wasn't going to be his day, but he was dominant in the second half and deserved his goal.
His pass for Gordon's goal was one of the best he's ever made in black and white. He only misplaced one of his 33 passes in the game and gave Cucurella a hell of a time down Chelsea's left. His effort off the ball was gargantuan, too, as it always tends to be.
When he plays he scores, and this goal was such a typical one for him. The touch to control it and the way he readjusted himself before firing home was world-class. He's the best striker we've seen in the black and white since Shearer ability-wise, he just needs to stay fit!
He's averaging a goal involvement every 1.35 games after his assist and strike today, but his general play is what continues to impress the most. He's just so, so sharp and it's really difficult for defenders to stop him even though he tends to make the same movements.
Played a couple of positions and had a couple of chances to grab either a goal or an assist, but was unable to convert.
He completed 8/8 passes and made a trademark tackle to stop a dangerous Chelsea attack. It's all in a day's work for Paully D.
The big defender has got something about him and he looked the part in his brief debut, making a couple of forward charges.
What a moment for Ndiweni as he made his senior debut in a pressure-free situation at St James' and got a couple of touches.
Only managed a solitary touch of the ball, but like Ndiweni this was his senior debut for the club and he must be buzzing tonight.
Eddie Howe takes his extremely depleted squad to Princes Park in Paris for the return fixture against Kylian Mbappé and PSG on Tuesday evening.
It's an 8 p.m. GMT kick-off that will be shown live on TNT Sports 2. If we lose then we'll be out of the competition.
Howay the lads!
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
12 | 16 | 31 |
2 |
Manchester City
|
12 | 5 | 23 |
3 |
Chelsea
|
12 | 9 | 22 |
4 |
Arsenal
|
12 | 9 | 22 |
5 |
Brighton
|
12 | 5 | 22 |
6 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
12 | 14 | 19 |
7 |
Nottingham Forest
|
12 | 2 | 19 |
8 |
Aston Villa
|
12 | 0 | 19 |
9 |
Fulham
|
12 | 0 | 18 |
10 |
Newcastle United
|
12 | 0 | 18 |
11 |
Brentford
|
12 | 0 | 17 |
12 |
Manchester United
|
12 | 0 | 16 |
13 |
Bournemouth
|
12 | -1 | 15 |
14 |
West Ham United
|
12 | -4 | 15 |
15 |
Everton
|
12 | -7 | 11 |
16 |
Leicester
|
12 | -8 | 10 |
17 |
Wolves
|
12 | -8 | 9 |
18 |
Ipswich
|
12 | -10 | 9 |
19 |
Crystal Palace
|
12 | -7 | 8 |
20 |
Southampton
|
12 | -15 | 4 |