Last season’s Premier League champions Chelsea failed to end the season on a positive note as they were thrashed 3-0 by Newcastle United at St. James’ Park.
The embarrassing defeat at the hands of Newcastle will mean that the Blues will miss out on the Champions League next season, after finishing fifth in the table. However, the London giants will definitely shift their focus on next weekend’s all-important FA Cup final against Manchester United.
Newcastle, on the other hand, will be delighted to end the season with a morale-boosting win against last season’s Premier League champions, especially after coming on the back of a somewhat barren run. The Magpies have finished the league in the tenth position with 44 points on the board.
Here are the Chelsea players rated from their defeat over Newcastle United.
Thibaut Courtois (7.5/10): Had an extraordinary first half, where he was looking like the only man ready for the challenge for Chelsea as he made a series of stunning saves to keep his side in the game. However, at the end of the day, the sheer dominance of the home side proved too much for the Belgian international.
Cesar Azpilicueta (7.5/10): Was nowhere near his best, as the Spaniard struggled to cope with the attacking fluency of Newcastle United. However, he was definitely the best of three Chelsea centre-backs that featured against the Magpies.
Andreas Christensen (6.5/10): A tough day at the office for the Danish international, who struggled against Newcastle’s attacking duo of Ayoze Perez and Dwight Gayle. Christensen’s poor run of form might be a worry for head coach Antonio Conte ahead of their crucial game against Manchester United next weekend.
Gary Cahill (6.5/10): Looked completely clueless against the likes of Matt Ritchie and Ayoze Perez, both of whom wreaked havoc on the left side of the defence.
Victor Moses (5/10): One of the worst performers on the day, Victor Moses was absolutely useless against a well-disciplined Newcastle defence. The Nigerian found it difficult to get past Paul Dummett and also had trouble keeping up with their counter-attacks.
Ross Barkley (6/10): Should have done a lot better in the final third but due to the sheer solidity of the Newcastle backline, Barkley failed to provide any real spark in the Chelsea attack.
N’Golo Kante (7/10): Had one of his rare off-days, where the Frenchman completely struggled to influence the game and was often outplayed by Newcastle’s midfield duo of Jonjo Shelvey and Mohamed Diame.
Tiemoue Bakayoko (6.5/10): Bakayoko’s strong physical presence proved to be a problem for Newcastle in the first few minutes of the game but the former Monaco midfielder struggled to provide any real solidity in the centre of the pitch.
Emerson (5/10): Coach Antonio Conte surely won’t be impressed with Emerson’s performance today, as the former Roma left-back failed to showcase his dynamism and attacking qualities when he was on the pitch.
Eden Hazard (6.5/10): Couldn’t provide any service upfront, as the Belgian superstar was completely overwhelmed and isolated in the final third.
Olivier Giroud (6.5/10): Struggled to influence the game due to the lack of service in behind. The charismatic striker will probably have to settle for the bench against Man United next weekend.
Substitutes
Willian (NA): Replaced Ross Barkley in the final stage of the game but that didn’t make any difference as the Brazilian was also overwhelmed by the highly rigid Newcastle defence.
Alvaro Morata (NA): Morata’s introduction in the 77th minute didn’t make much of an impact due to the limited chances Chelsea created in the attacking third.
Pedro (NA): Came on for the tiring Eden Hazard with just eight minutes remaining on the clock.
