A Pedro double lead the Blues to Chelsea’s biggest league win of the season. The Spaniard signed the second and fourth strikes to Magpies increasing to 4 his Premier League goal tally. Diego Costa’s 10th league goal of the season set the Blues on the way, with a Willian strike and Bertrand Traore’s first goal at Stamford Bridge completing the task.
Incisive attacking play was in plentiful supply throughout an entertaining encounter and it was only in the final minutes that the visitors netted their consolation, their new signing Andros Townsend firing in past a reshaped Chelsea defence. John Terry‘s participation in our Champions League round of 16 opener is now in some doubt as the skipper was forced off with injury before the interval.
By that stage we were already 3-0 up. Pedro had netted the second inside the first 10 minutes after racing clear and Willian scored next with a well-crafted goal. Pedro showed his two-footed prowess in the second half when he made it 4-0, with Traore then on-target having come on as substitute, helping to send the team to France with spirits high.
The Blues went into the 5.30pm kick-off knowing that three points taken at home against a team below would raise us two places in the Premier League table to 12th and there was good news before kick-off with Diego Costa judged able to start the game having tested the wearing of a protective mask yesterday, following the accidental breaking of his nose in training a day earlier.
Gary Cahill was the natural replacement in the starting line-up for the long-termed injured Kurt Zouma and Eden Hazard was ready to begin a game for the first time since the start of January. However there was no Oscar due to a minor calf injury so Pedro started on the left with the Belgian on the right-flank. With Willian in a central role, Cesc Fabregas played deeper with Nemanja Matic who is suspended for the next game. John Mikel Obi made way. The Blues wore black armbands in memory of Louise West, a highly valued member of the Chelsea staff and a devoted supporter of the team who passed away at the age of 26.
Newcastle, who were unchanged from their first win in three outings, a 1-0 home success over West Brom, were on the wrong end of that scoreline in this one after a mere four minutes.
It was Willian the maker, Diego Costa the finisher with the type of goal that set the Premier League alight last season. Willian was in possession just inside the Geordie half when he turned sharply past Cheick Tiote and darted away. The pass to our centre-forward had the perfect weight, as did Diego Costa‘s low shot which beat goalie Rob Eliot but also had the direction to roll in from a difficult angle.
Having gone behind so early on, the last thing Steve McClaren’s struggling side needed was a moment of suicidal play from defender Rolando Aarons, but that was what they got. Pedro latched onto the loose pass and was suddenly completely clear and with plenty of time to think about it. Roared on by the tea-time crowd, the Spaniard smashed the ball left-footed into the bottom corner. He looked mighty pleased as he celebrated in front of a Shed End split between jumping Blues and the despondent two-toned Toon.
There were only eight minutes gone and with another eight minutes played, the score increased to 3-0.
The architects of the opener this time reversed their roles. Diego Costa had too much pace for Newcastle captain Fabricio Coloccini as he chased a pass out on the right and once onto it, our masked topscorer picked out Willian with a peach of a ball. The finish was close-range and precise. Elliot had no chance.
Was this going to be one of those famous goal feasts against Newcastle that Stamford Bridge has enjoyed down the years?
The visitors continued to make mistakes, one almost allowing Diego Costa to beat the keeper to a back pass, and Aarons blocked a goal-bound Ivanovic shot after a cross from the left.
On the half-hour, John Terry stooped low to meet a Willian corner ahead of the near post but still got his header on target. The man on the post blocked. It was truly one-way traffic and Pedro could have made it four on 36 minutes when teed up by Diego Costa but picked out the keeper with his effort.
It didn’t all go Chelsea’s way in the first half however. Terry, making his 699th Chelsea appearance, had been is discomfort after colliding with Aleksandar Mitrovic during an aerial duel and with half-time approaching he finally came off. That meant a return to central defence for Ivanovic and to right-back for Cesar Azpilicueta with Baba Rahman the player coming on. It remains to be seen whether the skipper’s famous powers of recovery will allow him to take part in France on Tuesday night.
There were concerns we would lose another player to injury when Daryl Janmaat went in hard on the back of Hazard‘s foot. The right-back was lucky not to be booked but after words from the referee and treatment to Hazard, the game continued.
A free-kick in prime Willian territory for a foul on our main dead-ball specialist presented an added-time opportunity to make it 4-0 before the interval, but Elliot made a good finger-tip save at the base of his post. Even so, it had been the most enjoyable Chelsea first-half performance for some time.
Newcastle made a substitution and a formation tweak for the resumption with Jack Colback, who was back from injury, replacing the quiet Georginio Wijnaldum, and McClaren’s men rallied to a degree for 10 minutes or so, with Mitrovic going closest to pulling a goal back, but then Blues kicked into gear again with Pedro‘s second of the evening. It was another emphatic finish from the former Barcelona man who is settling into life in London.
Fabregas played one his quality high passes from halfway and Pedro‘s control with his chest past the last defender was vital before another low shot, this time with his right-foot, completed the job. He had his fifth goal for the club. There was an hour gone.
With the game beyond doubt and Paris no doubt on his mind, Guus Hiddink immediately replaced Diego Costa with young Bertrand Traore and it looked a wise move with Newcastle handing out the odd spot of rough stuff. Jonjo Shelvey was booked for a foul on Fabregas and Willian needed attention after a tackle from Tiote who was replaced very soon after.
A spell of pressure without clear chances led up to a good effort from distance from Baba. Ruben Lotus-Cheek then came on for the final 10 minutes with Willian taking a well-earned rest.
It had looked a contest with at least one more goal in it and Chelsea’s fifth duly arrived from the sliding boot of Traore, who followed up his FA Cup strike at MK Dons with a well-timed run to meet a low Azpilicueta delivery at the near post and score.
Hazard almost made it six when found by Fabregas. He jinked skilfully to the side of this marker but the then stabbed just wide.
It was a good strike from Townsend inside stoppage time that dirtied the clean sheet on offer after the England international was allowed to run at our defence, but that goal conceded did not prevent the Blues recording our most emphatic win in the league since Swansea 13 months ago.
- Match stats:
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry (c) (Baba 37), Azpilicueta; Fabregas, Matic;Hazard, Willian (Loftus-Cheek 80), Pedro; Diego Costa (Traore 60).
Unused subs Begovic, Mikel, Kenedy, Remy .
Scorers Diego Costa 5, Pedro 9, 59, Willian 17, Traore 84.
Newcastle (4-2-3-1): Elliot; Janmaat, Taylor, Coloccini (c), Aarons; Tiote (Lascelles 67), Shelvey; Sissoko, Wijnaldum (Colback h-t), Townsend; Mitrovic (Doumbia 70).
Unused subs Darlow, Saivet, Perez, Riviere.
Scorer Townsend 90+2
Booked Taylor 19, Shelvey 61.
Referee Roger East
Crowd 41,622
- Match report by chelseafc.com
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