Chelsea picked up another three points to keep their 100% record in the Premier League season. The Blues dominated the game and had a bit of luck with the penalty and the late winner. Here are the key talking points from the game.
#3 David Luiz needs to step up
Under Antonio Conte, David Luiz became the forgotten man but Maurizio Sarri has been generous enough to give him the game-time he craved for. He has started all the three games for Chelsea in this season but has failed to impress the fans and the pundits.
The 31-year old is great with the ball but lacks the defensive aspect of the game. Newcastle United struggled to find a clear-cut chance for most of the match but scored with a half-chance they got in the latter stages of the match.
Yedlin found space to launch a fine cross into the box from the right side. Luiz remained static rather than closing the space. Joselu took the advantage of this lack of alertness to score with a great header. With Andreas Christensen and Gary Cahill on the bench, I expect Sarri to make a change.
#2 Master-class from Jorginho
It is hard to say that this 26-year old has only played 3 games in English top-flight. Jorginho followed his manager to the new club and has been one of the best performers for the club. Jorginho has bossed the midfield with his distribution and composure.
He attempted 178 passes and complete 158 of those. He completed more passes than the whole Newcastle team! Only two players have completed more passes than him in the whole Premier League history in a single game – Gündoğan and Fernandinho.
#1 Great start for Maurizio Sarri
Everyone was excited after his arrival but at the same time, they were ready to give him a honeymoon-period to grind out results. Sarri has defied the odds to win all the league matches until now, to get the maximum points on the point table equalling Watford and Liverpool.
Players like Pedro are becoming more influential in the team as they look to adapt to the Sarri-ball. They still have a lot to do, especially at the back, but now have a solid platform to build on and make it a successful season.