Chelsea 2 - 0 NewcastleEmboaba Oscar 43
Diego Costa 59
After spending the majority of the first half groaning at their side’s sloppiness, the Chelsea fans were chanting about being top of the league long before Roger East’s final whistle, and it still seems likely that they will be there come the end of the season.
The crisis did not last long. Normal service was restored by an occasionally shaky, but ultimately comfortable 2-0 victory against Newcastle United that was given gloss by Diego Costa’s excellent goal in the second half, and as Chelsea walked off the pitch at the end, Stamford Bridge reverberated to cheers when it was announced that Manchester City had drawn at Everton. Chelsea lead their closest rivals by two points, and while José Mourinho will not be entirely satisfied with his side’s performance, the bottom line is that the title is theirs to lose.
Chelsea’s aura of invincibility has received a few too many dents for Mourinho’s liking in recent weeks, not least in the 5-3 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on New Year’s Day, and it was certainly strange to see them outplayed by Newcastle during a first half that was notable for the number of times the men in blue shirts conceded possession with a series of uncharacteristically loose touches and slack passes. Yet the best sides win when they are not playing well, and Oscar offered a timely reminder of that when he gave Chelsea the lead after 43 minutes.
Chelsea’s players must have been dreading Mourinho’s half-time team-talk before the Brazilian midfielder calmed their nerves by sweeping home from close range when Newcastle were caught out by some quick thinking at a corner. They had been largely dreadful until that moment, grateful that Newcastle’s finishing had not been more ruthless and that Petr Cech, who was making a rare start because of Thibaut Courtois’ troublesome thumb injury, was showing no signs of rust in goal for Chelsea.
The expectation was that Newcastle would be on the end of a fearsome backlash from Chelsea, but Cech was by far the busier goalkeeper in the first half and was forced to remind us of his outstanding qualities more often than Mourinho would have anticipated.
Perhaps Newcastle were inspired by the memory of their victory against Chelsea at St James’ Park last month. Driven on by the surges from midfield of Moussa Sissoko and the impish dribbling of Rémy Cabella, Newcastle were dominant for long spells despite being deprived of several key players because of injuries and the Africa Cup of Nations.
Yoann Gouffran’s firm free-kick was beaten away by Cech, Sissoko crashed a shot against the outside of the post after skipping past John Terry with surprising ease and the Chelsea captain also hung out a leg to deflect Cabella’s curling shot just past the left post.
Cabella’s quick feet, daring and ability to ghost past defenders as if they were not there made him Newcastle’s biggest threat and he had their clearest chance of the first half. Eden Hazard lost possession inside Chelsea’s half and the ball broke to Cabella, who drifted past Terry and then curled a shot towards the bottom-right corner from the edge of the area. Cech, however, was a sizeable obstacle. He saved brilliantly.
John Carver, who remains hopeful of being named Alan Pardew’s replacement on a permanent basis, would have been reflecting on the effectiveness of his gameplan at that point and he must have been encouraged to see Mourinho, who was charged by the Football Association on Thursday following his comments about an apparent campaign against Chelsea, lose his temper with Costa for his lack of movement as a pass from Cesc Fàbregas sailed out of play.
There were flashes from Chelsea, however, a volley from Oscar that flashed wide and a burst on the break from Hazard, and Newcastle’s failure to take their chances made them vulnerable.
The disappointment for Newcastle was that Oscar’s goal was so avoidable.
They were not alive to the danger when Chelsea won a corner on the right and Willian swiftly found Branislav Ivanovic, who laid the ball on a plate for Oscar at the far post.
The fun was over for Newcastle. Chelsea were liberated by the goal, playing with greater freedom and authority, and the result was never in doubt once Costa had doubled their lead by finishing off a stunning move in the 59th minute. The ball was in the air when Oscar backheeled Hazard’s path into Costa’s path and he had all the time in the world to pick his spot and drill a low finish past Tim Krul. Job done.
Guardian
