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Chelsea consolidated their place at the top of the table courtesy of Reece James' incredible brace during a hard-fought 3-0 win over Newcastle United on Saturday in the Premier League. Thomas Tuchel's men were made to work really hard for the win by hosts Newcastle, who opted for a low-block strategy.
Hakim Ziyech, who started the game in the absence of Mason Mount, produced an excellent left-footed curling finish for Chelsea in the first half. However, the linesman was quick to raise the flag and replays suggested how Ziyech had drifted into an offside position before producing the beautiful finish.
The Blues continued their quest for the opening goal but it failed to arrive in the first forty-five at St James' Park. Reece James then produced an incredible strike in the 65th minute to open the floodgates on Tyneside.
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Newcastle could only clear Callum Hudson-Odoi's ambitious cross from the left as far as James, who was stationed just outside the six-yard area. The full-back wrapped his weaker left-foot around the ball and produced a stunning finish into the far top corner.
Reece James then completed his brace by netting a similar goal in the 77th minute, but this time the finish was a lot kinder on Newcastle. It went from bad to worse for the hosts in the 81st minute as Karl Darlow came racing off his line before committing a foul on Kai Havertz.
The referee pointed straight to the spot and Jorginho stepped up and comfortably made it 3-0 for Chelsea. The Premier League leaders went from being frustrated in their search for an opening goal to putting three goals past Newcastle in the space of 16 second-half minutes.
Following the result, Chelsea have now mustered 25 points in 10 Premier League games this term. They have also conceded the fewest goals (3) in the division. Meanwhile, Newcastle continue to remain at 19th and in the relegation zone with the joint-worst defensive record in the top-flight.
In the wake of what proved to be an excellent win for Chelsea on Tyneside, reactions poured in from their fans across the globe. On that note, here are some of the best responses from users on Twitter:
