Amidst non-ending drama, Chelsea took on a resurgent Newcastle United hoping to put an end to their guest’s impressive run of form with 5 wins and a draw preceding the game at Stamford Bridge.
The host as expected, started like a side with a point to prove hoping to silent critics and rival fans alike after the Club were put under some strict restrictions owing to the Owner’s sanctions by the British Government.
The game took a more balanced turn after the first 10 minutes of Chelsea dominance with Newcastle growing in confidence due to their impressive run of form.
Newcastle United improved as the game went on and registered the first shot on target after Almiron found himself on the edge of the box free enough to strike a sweet volley that needed a good save from Edou Mendy.
With both sides struggling to create meaningful chances, Newcastle once again broke free on the counter and had referee David Coote had a better view of the action involving Chalobah and Jacob Murphy, Newcastle might as well been awarded a penalty and a chance to take the lead in the game.
With much toiling and desperation for a goal, a miracle finally happened in the 88th minute with Rudiger and Jorginho playing a quick one-two before Jorgi spotted a brilliant diagonal run from in-form attacker, Kai Harvertz and with a pass reminiscent of Fabregas, Kai’s sublime first touch to control the ball set him up for an easy finish to register his fifth goal in six matches.
Here are 5 lessons learnt as Chelsea register five (5) consecutive wins in the premier league;
Battered blues fighting on
The media, UK government, Pundits and rival fans have all taken turns to batter Chelsea amidst the trouble faced by the London giants.
The media started off with constant unnecessary questions asked of Tuchel which led to the German coach flaring up and asking for the media to stop the questions about the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The sanctions by the UK government has also suggested there is some form of witch-hunting going on against the club.
Amidst all these troubles, Tuchel and his players have taken all in good stead and converted such negative energy to another form of motivation as showcased by the celebration that followed the final whistle at Stamford Bridge with Tuchel, the players and fans alike all getting immensely emotional over the hard-earned win.
Tuchel’s statement when responding to the press about the availability of a transport means to get to France for the game against Lille said; “I am informed of the availability of a plane, and if there isn’t a plane, we’d take a train, if there isn’t a train, we’d take a bus, and if a bus isn’t available, I’d drive a seven-seater”
The above statement goes to show the sort of determination apparent in the team right from the coaches to every single player in the squad. Chelsea fighting on!
Chalobah is shaky
Impressive young defender, Trevoh Chalobah has been a suspect in recent matches since his re-integration into the first eleven for the past few matches.
Chalobah’s rash challenges and miscalculation has been a major cause of concern with his challenge of Murphy being his most recent mistake which gratefully wasn’t spotted by the referee.
Since the game against Liverpool in the Carabão cup final where Chalobah was visibly rattled by Luis Diaz, Chalobah has been suspect with his defending.
Against Norwich, Chalobah gave away a penalty and gave the ball away on a couple of occasions against both Norwich and Newcastle. Trev needs to rediscover his imperial form!
Rudiger drives the team
Something as clear as daylight has to be Rudiger’s resurgence under Thomas Tuchel. The German defender has been given a new lease of life by his compatriot and seems to be enjoying every bit of his game time under Tuchel’s tutelage.
Against Newcastle’s low-block, Rudiger took the initiative to drive forward and push attacks on multiple occasions while his intensity in tackles often led to turnover of possession for the blues.
Rudiger’s long diagonal passes more often than not found its target with Ziyech, Kai and Kante all benefiting from the German defender’s attacking input. Rudiger drives on!
Chelsea struggle against a Low-block again
One weakness a future opponent’s coach must have noticed in Chelsea’s wining run so far has to be the difficulty Chelsea encounter when coming up against a low-block.
In games against Crystal Palace, Burnley and now Newcastle, Chelsea seemed to run out of ideas on how to break down a well-drilled defensive side.
The struggle against Low-blocks should be a major cause of concern to Tuchel as the remaining 7 premier league fixtures would see Chelsea face just two of the “big 6” while the rest are mid-table or bottom teams. Tuchel needs to act fast!
Kai takes center stage
After Chelsea paid in excess of £75 million pounds, many expected Kai Harvertz to take the premier league by storm but that turned out to be just a mere fantasy after his first season.
Kai’s first season in England saw him struggle to make the desired impact and his goal in the final of the Champions League only bore evidence of what is to come this season. Fast track to this season and then the past few games, Kai is finally justifying his price tag and doing so in some style!
Against Newcastle, Kai once again started as the main man in attack and his movement off the ball to create space for himself was evident just as we all have become accustomed to.
With Burn proving a stubborn customer as he and Kai’s countless tangle proves, Kai had the last laugh with a brilliantly taken goal in the 89th minute with a touch out of this world to bring under control Jorginho’s sumptuous pass and then a sweet finish to break
Newcastle’s resilience and give Chelsea the breakthrough. Harvertz’s record of five goals in six games is one Romelu would be proud off as the Club’s number 9 but Kai with the number “2” before the “9”, he’s giving double portions to Chelsea.
Creating Magic MOTM: Kai Harvertz 8/10
