Newcastle United 2-2 Chelsea: Player Ratings

Asmir Begovic failed to prevent Newcastle from scoring twice

Chelsea

Asmir Begovic – 5/10

Barring two brilliant saves in the first half, the Bosnian keeper did nothing but pick the ball out of the net twice for the Blues in a surprisingly quiet outing.

Branislav Ivanovic – 5/10

While the Serb may have marginally improved his efforts while pushing ahead, his defensive capabilities are still a major talking point for Jose Mourinho with him being caught out of position most of the time and being given the run around by Newcastle’s young Premier League debutant Mbabu.

Gary Cahill – 5.5/10

While the English centre-back didn’t do much wrong, he showed no signs of being the leading figure at the back of Chelsea’s backline that he was expected to be. He is yet to find that dominating, authoritative form that he saw last season when he was paired with John Terry at the heart of Chelsea’s defence.

Kurt Zouma – 4.5/10

A very poor performance from the young Frenchman who was guilty of conceding Newcastle’s first goal when he was caught ball watching as Ayoze Perez scored. Given Chelsea’s frailties at the back this season and the fierce competition for places, Zouma will need to step his game up if he is to remain a part of Chelsea’s back four.

Cesar Azpilicueta – 6.5/10

A characteristically solid performance from Chelsea’s Mr. Consistent which saw him break up plays on the wing with ease in the second half and was vital in Chelsea’s revival. Azpilicueta still probably remains the only member of Chelsea’s back four whose place is guaranteed.

Nemanja Matic – 6/10

A quiet evening in the first half for the Serbian which saw him characteristically break up plays in the midfield with relative ease. His lack of offensive contribution, however, was a reason for his substitution in the second half which proved to be the turning point of the game.

Cesc Fabregas – 6.5/10

Chelsea’s star performer in the first half, Fabregas was the best goalscoring threat with two thumping efforts. He continued his offensive prowess in the second half providing some cross field through balls that were reminiscent of the Fabregas of last season.

While he may be steadily improving offensively this season, his defensive capabilities are still a question mark and if he is to play in the centre of Chelsea’s midfield, he must improve his defensive game.

Cesc Fabregas (L) had a good game while Branislav Ivanovic (R) struggled

Pedro – 4/10

Quite possibly Chelsea’s weakest link in the game, Pedro provided nothing while going forward and scuffed whatever chances were presented to him, such as the instance where he skied a great opportunity to bring Chelsea level after a delicious Fabregas ball. His lack of defensive contribution is also a major issue which he needs to address before Chelsea’s next game.

Oscar – 5/10

The Brazilian was largely underwhelming during his time on the pitch, Oscar didn’t provide much concrete action while pushing ahead and also didn’t display his usual tenacity while tracking back in the game against Newcastle.

Eden Hazard – 6/10

Bar a brilliant, goal of the season attempt by him in the second half, Hazard is still to find the form that won him the Player of the Year last season. The signs, however, are promising with him steadily improving with the progression of the season and he showed glimpses of that creative genius from time to time in the game with some nice intricate play with Fabregas and Azpilicueta.

Loic Remy – 5.5/10

Remy worked very hard off the ball but didn’t get much in terms of supply. He did the best he could with his limited chances but failed to create anything concrete.

Substitutes

Radamel Falcao – 4.5/10

The former United man looked a shadow of his former prolific self, proving next to nothing up front for Chelsea after coming on for Remy later in the game. He is worryingly looking like a gamble gone wrong for Chelsea after a string of underwhelming performances.

Ramires – 8/10

By far the most impactful player on the pitch, Ramires was brought on to inject life into Chelsea’s play and he did exactly that with a brilliant goal before playing a major role in forcing Tim Krul into an error for Chelsea’s second. He also almost managed to win the game for The Blues with a header late on only to see it saved brilliantly. Given his performance today, more first team action for the Brazilian is more than warranted.

Impact subs: Ramires and Willian scored to rescue a point for Chelsea

Willian – 7/10

Another vital component in Chelsea’s late reversal of fortunes, Willian’s ceaseless work rate off the ball combined with his pace on it helped heap the pressure on Steve McClaren’s men before he scored the vital equalizer with a free-kick in the 86th minute that flummoxed the entire Newcastle backline. Pedro’s position on Chelsea’s right wing is under serious threat after his poor outing here.