Newcastle United 0 Chelsea 3

Last updated : 03 December 2011 By Paul Lagan

Goals from Didier Drogba, substitute Salomon Kalou and a late effort by Daniel Sturridge were enough to see the Blues move into third place in the Premier League as they defeated Newcastle United 0-3.

In truth, this game, with an end-to-end feel about it could have finished 3-5 to the Blues as missed chances, excellent goalkeeping and the woodwork conspired to keep the score line down to just three, notwithstanding a lenient decision by referee Mike Dean.

Thankfully those three goals went to under fire Chelsea boss Andre-Villas’s side.

Chelsea started brightly with good possession, but a quick break on four minutes saw Demba Ba race clear following a through ball. David Luiz pulled him down on the edge of the penalty area.

Referee Mike Dean brandished only a yellow to the Brazilian centre-back when it could just as easily have been a red.

Taylor’s subsequent free-kick was cleared by a solid wall.

Chelsea was awarded a penalty on 13 minutes when Daniel Sturridge raced clear. This time he made it into the Newcastle area before being hacked down by left-back Ryan Taylor.

But Frank Lampard’s limp, weak, right-footed spot kick was tapped onto the left upright by Tim Krul, celebrating his 50th start for the Magpies and cleared to safety.

The visitors rattled the same post two minutes later through livewire Sturridge, who also saw a long-range effort on 20 minutes sail inches wide of the very same post.

Krul denied Sturridge on 22 minutes when, after an excellent ball by Juan Mata, the England forward was clear once again, but the home side’s goalkeeper smothered the left-foot shot.

Sturridge had another run in the area just after, but the rattled the side-netting

Chelsea’s goalkeeper Petr Cech was called into action on 25 minutes when he acrobatically tipped over a spectacular back flick by Demba Ba.

Fabricio Coloccini lasted until the 28th minutes before being replaced by James Perch.0

Didier Drogba was denied a great goal-scoring effort on 30 minutes when a fantastic left-wing cross by Mata seemed destined for the Ivory Coast hitman to tap in, but Ryan Taylor lunged in to clear the ball for a corner.

On 34th minute it was Newcastle’s turn to hit some woodwork, when Ba out jumped Luiz from a Danny Guthrie dinked pass, the ball beat Cech and ricocheted off the keeper’s right post.

Six minutes before the break and Chelsea took the lead.

Newcastle thought they had a throw-in close to their byline, but Dean overruled giving the visitors the ball.

Ashley Cole took the throw, passing the ball to Mata. The Spain midfielder then chipped the ball into the box and Drogba was quickest to respond and buried a firm header in to the back of Krul’s net.

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew replaced Ben Arfa for Shola Ameobi at half-time.

 

Drogba should have doubled the score on six minutes in the second half, when he chested down a long ball in the penalty area and shot a fierce half-volley from 10 yards out. Unfortunately the ball zipped wide of goal.

Chelsea’s crossbar was rattled two minutes later, when direct from a corner Drogba lunged towards the ball, mistimed it and sent it instead past Cech; thankfully for him the ball hit the woodwork.

From the result clearance, Chelsea raced upfield and Krul produced a fine save to deny Ramires.

Lampard, perhaps with the Champions league game on Tuesday against Valencia in mind was replaced on 60 minutes with Raul Meireles.  

Sammy Ameobi, younger brother of Shola came off the bench on 71 minutes replacing wide man Peter Lovenkrands.  It was brother Sammy who had an excellent chance to level when his low left-footer from 10 yards out arrowed on target, but Terry was on his line to clear on 74 minutes.

Andre Villa-Boas took off Chelsea’s man of the match Mata with 15 minutes to go, with Salomon Kalou entering the fray. He was followed by Fernando Torres for Drogba six minutes later.

The Ameobi brothers had chances to score on 80 minutes when first Shola saw his shot crash off the Chelsea crossbar once again, before Sammy’s follow-up was cleared.

Krul denied Sturridge with eight minutes left when the striker tried to slide the ball wide of the Dutch goalkeeper from close range.

Sturridge received a yellow car a minute later for kicking the ball away.

The Blues finally put the game to bed when, on 90 minutes Kalou, racing into the Newcastle area slotted the ball home off Krul’s outstretched right hand after good attacking play by Torres.

Sturridge snatched number three in injury time, when after collecting the ball from Ramires, the striker who missed several chances, cut in from the left, and produced a fine daisy-cutter

 

Teams: 1 Petr Cech
2 Branislav Ivanovic
4 David Luiz
26 John Terry (c)
3 Ashley Cole
7 Ramires
6 Oriol Romeu
8 Frank Lampard
23 Daniel Sturridge
11 Didier Drogba
10 Juan Mata

Subs: 23 Ross Turnbull, 17 Jose Bosingwa, 38 Ryan Bertrand, 16 Raul Meireles, 15 Florent Malouda, 21 Salomon Kalou, 9 Fernando Torres.

Newcastle (4-4-1-1) formation:

Krul; Simpson, S Taylor, Coloccini (c), R Taylor; Obertan, Cabaye, Guthrie, Lovenkrands; Ben Arfa, Ba.

Subs: Harper, Santon, Perch, Gosling, Sammy Ameobi, Best, Shola Ameobi.

Referee Mike Dean.