Match Review – Newcastle United vs Chelsea

The match-up was more a clash of Demba Ba’s ex-employers and current employers, rather than Chelsea’s attempt to climb the ranks or Newcastle’s fight against relegation. Anti-climactic to say the least, it was an interesting mix of strategy and raw power. Going into the game, Chelsea were unbeaten in their last five trips to St James’ Park, where they had won three, conceding a single goal. On the other hand, Newcastle last tasted victory in May 2012, when they won by two goals to nothing at Chelsea’s home. Surprisingly, Chelsea’s away record has been better than their home record. The homecoming for Demba Ba was all set for a cracker, including the French debuts at St. James’ Park.

Ending at 3-2, Moussa Sissoko stole Jonas Gutierrez’s show, but it wasn’t an all-Newcastle affair. At the hour mark, it looked more like the usual Chelsea game where the opposition looks to self-destruct under the midfield magic that the Blues create. Pardew was all smiles and Demba Ba had some face saving to do. Here is a lowdown of the match.

Squads

Chelsea

Strong as ever, Rafa Benitez was aware of the risks of underestimating a literally renewed outfit. With so much talent coming in, and the feeling that follows a top-flight transfer which galvanizes a typical side, Benitez knew better and laid out a world-class defense. Terry and Cahill played central flanked by the dependable Cole and the brawny Ivanovic. Frank Lampard started with Ramires and Mata, while Bertrand and Oscar played the wings, hoping to supply the final ball for the lone striker in Ba. Cech was in goal, ubiquitous as ever. Torres warmed the bench again, courtesy Ba’s move from the hosts.

Newcastle United

Alan Pardew dipped in to his squad to field a quality side which promised not to roll over and play dead the moment Chelsea threaten to switch it on. Tim Krul has been a little sluggish, but his past record in goal is nothing short of remarkable. Taylor and Coloccini held fort in the middle, while Debuchy, one of the January transfers, teamed with David Santon to light up the boots department in the defense. James Perch and Yohan Cabaye were thrown in to the middle to deal with the expected whirlwind between Mata and Lampard. The attack looked quite promising, with Cisse starting up front, Gouffran coming in to strengthen the wings, with the mercurial Jonas Gutierrez. The attack was held together by another addition in the window, Sissoko, who played the role of a central attacking midfielder.

Game Review

Chelsea hit the ground running and were sure of their advantage over the home side. But Newcastle were quickly notching up the shots and Cech kept swatting them out. Both Cahill and Cole were quick on their feet and stepped up to block a few. Chelsea were playing a fluid game and Newcastle looked a little pegged back in the middle of the first half. With Cisse and Sissoko doing most of the running in the opposition’s half, the defense and the midfield were indistinguishable at times. Gutierrez was the man of the hour, running every ball down and basically being a thorn in Chelsea’s side.

Demba Ba looked lost at times, and could not really make much of an impact until the half hour mark. An incisive ball let Ba loose who hit his shot right at Krul, whose instinctive save put it back in Ba’s path, who got a face full of Coloccini’s boot while trying to head it in. Quickly fixed up by the Chelsea support staff, he looked too disoriented to carry on. Ten minutes after, Jonas Gutierrez put the hosts up by one when he headed in a ball past Cech, who looked nowhere close to stopping it. The winger looked en route to a remarkable game. Ba was quickly taken off after his broken nose seemed more than just a knock and on came Torres. Ba was troubled continuously with boos from the home supporters, something he would not expect after leading the goal-scoring charts last season. The half finished with Newcastle in the lead, and Benitez was certainly looking for more than a draw.

Close to 10 minutes in to the second half, Frank Lampard let rip a scorcher and Krul could only scramble to see the effort go past. 5 minutes later, at the hour mark, Juan Mata found a little space on the edge of the box. His beautifully curled shot left everyone watching, as it cruised past to give Chelsea the lead for the first time in the game. Suddenly, Chelsea looked like they could have run rampage from there, and Newcastle needed some bucking up. Debut man Moussa Sissoko proved his worth with a goal at 67 minutes, equalizing for the hosts. Gouffran grabbed the ball just after the half line and ran decisively towards Cech but was crowded by Cahill’s tackle, and his shot bounced off in to Sissoko’s path, who was certain with his finish.

It was game on and Pardew’s men could smell blood. Instead of imploding the usual way, it was Chelsea who were facing the brunt of the revived Newcastle side. Right in the dying minutes, Sissoko doubled his tally for his new club, finding the bottom left corner from just outside the penalty area. Ending the game at 3-2, Newcastle United had lifted the jinx and banished their Premier League demons with a near-convincing win. Demba Ba will have to wait for another day before he can rain misery against the naysayers in the crowd.

Overall, it was a spectacular game with end to end moves, something to light up Pardew’s week. The French connection bore fruit and the buy of the January transfer window should certainly be Moussa Sissoko.