Chelsea 3-1 Newcastle United: Player Ratings

Two goals from Eden Hazard helped Chelsea to a 3-1 victory over Newcastle at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.

Dwight Gayle broke the deadlock, giving the Magpies an early lead. Hazard levelled the scoring shortly afterwards, taking full advantage after Florian Lejuene's clearance fell into the Belgian's path.

Álvaro Morata then edged the defending champions ahead with a close-range header, before Hazard completed his brace from the penalty spot with a Panenka.

Here's how the players rated from an interesting affair in west London:

Chelsea

Thibaut Courtois - 6/10

Courtois could do nothing to stop Gayle's opener, having done his utmost to win the loose ball. However, he did look nervous upon occasion - especially when he nearly gave a goal away in stoppage time. Despite this, he commanded his box well as usual and did not have many saves to make.

Cesar Azpilicueta - 8/10

Returning to the team after a much-deserved rest in midweek, Azpilicueta was tremendous both with and without the ball. His crossing from deep caused real panic in the Newcastle defence, while his positioning at the back was typically excellent.

Andreas Christensen - 7/10

Christensen has slotted into the Chelsea backline with ease, showing a maturity and assuredness that defies his tender years. His passing was tidy and he read the game well to keep Newcastle quiet after Gayle's goal.

Antonio Rudiger - 7/10

Rudiger looked a little shaky early on when playing out from the back, with Newcastle having some success when squeezing the play high up the pitch. He recovered well thereafter though and was solid defensively.

Victor Moses - 7/10

Moses' pace and athleticism gives him an edge over Davide Zappacosta at right wing-back, which he again proved on this occasion. The Nigerian caused problems for Matt Richie all afternoon, created the assist for Morata's strike and also won the penalty from which Hazard finished the game off with.

Cesc Fabregas - 8/10

Fabregas made some magnificent passes on Saturday, including an incredible lofted ball to Eden Hazard in the first half and a slide-rule pass to Victor Moses for the penalty. He remains among the best distributors in the Premier League.

N'Golo Kante - 7/10

Kante's importance to Chelsea cannot be overstated, and his energy and mobility was integral to the Blues' victory. The Frenchman made three interceptions and also played some fine passes in the middle of the park.

Danny Drinkwater - 7/10

This was a promising showing from Drinkwater, whose enthusiasm and high-pressing style helped the Blues gain control in midfield. He also looked to push forward and combine with Hazard and Morata, while also setting up a great chance for the former after the interval.

Marcos Alonso - 6/10

Alonso had a quiet afternoon in an attacking sense, although his provision of width on the left was vital to Chelsea's dominance. Jacob Murphy made runs in behind him in the second-half but the Spaniard generally recovered well, although he could have done better when trying to clear the ball prior to Dwight Gayle's goal.

Eden Hazard - 9/10

A near perfect performance from Hazard, who dazzled in a free role. Afforded the license to drift across the final third, the Belgian caused problems with his movement, passing and elusive dribbling. He also scored twice to take his tally for the season to five.

Álvaro Morata - 8/10

Morata scored yet another headed goal, turning home Victor Moses' cross from close-range. The Spaniard linked up well with Hazard throughout and also worked hard to press Newcastle's defenders out of possession.

Substitutes:-

Willian - 6/10

The Brazilian added an injection of speed and directness at the top of the pitch, but he did not really have enough time to make a significant impact.

Tiemoue Bakayoko - 6/10

Bakayoko kept Chelsea ticking over in the centre of the park, although he may be concerned that Danny Drinkwater has now seemingly overtaken him in the pecking order.

Gary Cahill - N/A

Introduced in the closing stages to help Chelsea see the game out.

Newcastle United

Karl Darlow - 7/10

Darlow made a superb stop to deny Eden Hazard in the first 45, but could do little to keep out any of Chelsea's three strikes. After a performance like this, he has probably done enough to retain his place between the sticks ahead of Rob Elliot, too.

Javier Manquillo - 6/10

Manquillo did a decent job defensively, with Marcos Alonso largely kept quiet in an attacking sense. He was unable to get forward, however, which denied Newcastle width at times.

Chancel Mbemba - 7/10

Mbemba's positioning was often excellent, with the centre-back making a game-high eight clearances. He read the game well for the most part but was unable to keep Morata and Hazard at bay for continuous periods.

Florian Lejeune - 5/10

Lejeune's clearance from Azpilicueta's cross fell straight to Hazard for the first goal, but it is difficult to blame him for failing to divert it further away. He did not cover himself in glory after that, though, and often took up positions that were too deep and invited pressure on his goal.

Ciaran Clark - 5/10

Clark endured a difficult afternoon at Stamford Bridge, particularly when he was forced to cover in wide areas behind Matt Ritchie. The ex-Aston Villa man made seven clearances and could perhaps have done better with a late header.

Matt Ritchie - 5/10

Deployed in an unfamiliar wing-back role on the left, Ritchie fulfilled his defensive duties diligently but was largely denied the opportunity to get forward on a regular basis. Pinned back by Moses for most of the game, he also slid in late and fouled the Nigerian for their spot-kick.

Mohamed Diame - 5/10

Diame did a good job of carrying the ball through the centre of the park at times, but both he and Mikel Merino were often overrun by Chelsea's three-man midfield. His passing was also a little sloppy.

Mikel Merino - 6/10

Merino is an assured presence in the centre of the pitch and passed the ball well at times, but his lack of mobility helped Chelsea dominate the midfield. He did make more passes in the opposition half than any other Newcastle player, though.

Jacob Murphy - 4/10

Murphy struggled to make an impression on the game and was wasteful with his final ball when he got into promising positions. He did offer a sporadic threat on the counter-attack but often made the wrong decisions in possession.

Ayoze Perez - 6/10

Perez is a gifted footballer but he was largely kept quiet at Stamford Bridge. Nominally a left-sided inside forward in Benitez's 3-4-2-1 formation, the Spaniard tended to drift inside but only mustered a single shot prior to his withdrawal on the hour.

Dwight Gayle - 6/10

Gayle was in the right place at the right time to open the scoring in west London, while his pressing from the front resulted in some early turnovers as Chelsea looked a little nervy playing out from the back. The striker was starved of service as the game wore on, though.

Substitutes:-

Isaac Hayden - 5/10

Introduced to try and prevent Newcastle from being overrun in the middle, Hayden was powerless to stem the flow of Chelsea's attacks.

Jonjo Shelvey - 5/10

The midfielder was robbed of possession shortly after coming on, which almost led to another Hazard goal. He did not get much of an opportunity to showcase his passing abilities either, which was undoubtedly frustrating.

DeAndre Yedlin - N/A

Came on with less than 10 minutes to play and therefore had little time to make an impact.

Edited by Mosope Ominiyi