Rating the Chelsea Players Against Newcastle United

Both Chelsea and Newcastle United came into this match needing a win. The Magpies were in 15th place and the Blues needed to take maximum points to restore some confidence throughout the side.

Newcastle started brightly as Chelsea struggled to get on the ball within the first 10 minutes. The hosts also had the better of the first half chances with Papiss Cisse, Yohan Cabaye and Moussa Sissoko all drawing smart saves from Petr Cech.

It was the hosts who took the lead before halftime with Jonas Guttierez getting his first Premier League goal of the season. Chelsea looked much smarter after the break and, eventually, Frank Lampard managed to steady himself for a shot from the edge of the box. Tim Krul—in the Newcastle goal—could only watch as it looped over him and into the goal, just under the crossbar.

The equaliser certainly sparked Chelsea into life—they took a 2-1 lead minutes later when Juan Mata produced a wonderful strike which curved inside the far post.

A rare defensive slip from John Terry let Cisse release Yoan Gouffran, whose shot Cech could only parry straight to Sissoko. Then, with just over a minute of the 90 remaining, the latest addition to Newcastle's French contingent split the Chelsea back four and scored the winner.

Chelsea's overall performance showed more passion and commitment than has been displayed in recent weeks, but they again threw away the lead and will be heading back to London empty handed.

Here are the individual Chelsea player ratings from this 3-2 defeat. Each player starts with 5/10 and gains points for effort, skill and goals scored. Points are deducted for ill-discipline, poor concentration and goals conceded. Defenders are weighted higher when goals are conceded and, by the same token, they gain more points than a natural attacking player should they score.

All stats are provided by EPLindex.com

Petr Cech

6.5/10

Chelsea's number one was back following a calf injury and was tested immediately as Newcastle were dominant for the first 10 minutes. He made a total of eight saves from shots on target throughout the game, although his passes were only accurate 56 percent of the time. 

Cech should have done better on Newcastle's equaliser. Having parried the ball straight into the path of Moussa Sissoko, the Chelsea keeper was left stranded and could only watch as the ball went past him into the net. 

Despite conceding three goals, Cech was in greater command of his area than his deputy Ross Turnbull had been, and without him it is highly likely that Newcastle would have put the game to bed before halftime.

Branislav Ivanovic

6/10

Ivanovic moved back to the right-hand side of the defence in place of Cesar Azpilicueta—he had a quiet game. He only attempted one tackle, which he won, and made 27 passes to his teammates which were accurate 89 percent of the time. 

With his move to full-back affording him more freedom going forward, Ivanovic managed three shots at goal—one of which was on target—and attempted three crosses, none of which found their man.

It will take some time for him to readjust to playing on the right, as he had been settled in his central defensive pairing with Gary Cahill in recent weeks.

John Terry

7/10

Chelsea's captain started his first Premier League match since suffering knee ligament damage against Liverpool back in November. He combined well with Gary Cahill and made six successful clearances while winning eight of ten aerial duels.

Terry was at fault for Newcastle's equaliser as he went rushing out of position only to miss-time his challenge, which led to Yoan Gouffran being afforded time and space to run at Cech, who could only parry the ball straight to Sissoko.

Despite that mistake, Terry's presence on the pitch seemed to buoy a side who have looked tired and jaded in recent weeks. He leads by example and wears his shirt with pride—this rubs off on his teammates. For that reason alone, his return from injury could not have come at a better time for Chelsea.

Gary Cahill

7/10

Gary Cahill was in good form against the Magpies, making 10 successful clearances with a passing accuracy of 78 percent.

However, along with the rest of the back four, he was vulnerable on the counter-attack and was wrong-footed by Cisse with the scores still level. Luckily, Cech was able to make the save, but against sides whose main threat is on the break, he will need to improve his reactions to avoid getting caught out.

Ashley Cole

7/10

Ashley Cole had a passing accuracy of 90 percent, making him the most accurate of all the Chelsea players against Newcastle. His obligatory shot was blocked before it could cause any real danger, but overall it was a decent performance from the left-back.

Cole set up Frank Lampard's goal with a lovely cross for the midfielder, but he was shown up in the second half when Moussa Sissoko completely stripped him for pace before unleashing a shot which Cech had to stretch to get his fingertips to. However, his work supporting Bertrand and persistence with involving the youngster in the build-up play was admirable, if a little foolhardy at times.

Ramires

6.5/10

Ramires was lucky to stay on the pitch when he committed to a two-footed sliding tackle from behind on Jonas Gutierrez after 29 minutes. Howard Webb produced the yellow card from his pocket, and having previously conceded possession in the defensive half, Ramires tightened up his game.

He had a passing accuracy of 84 percent, won one of two tackles attempted and saw a shot fly well over the bar. Overall, he was less effective than usual but still provided key cover for Frank Lampard's forward runs.

Frank Lampard

7.5/10

Frank Lampard got the leveler on 54 minutes with a fine shot from the edge of the box. That goal took his total tally for the Blues to 197 and meant that he has scored 10 or more goals per season from midfield for the last 10 years. He needs six more goals to beat Bobby Tambling's current record—he nearly closed the gap further. He had a header straight at Tim Krul saved, had two shots blocked and saw a further two shots sail over the bar.

Lampard attempted the most passes with 63 and was accurate 78 percent of the time. He performed his job as the link between attack and defence well and was unlucky not to get another goal.

Ryan Bertrand

5.5/10

Ryan Bertrand was out of his depth against Newcastle. Playing further up the pitch than his usual left-back or left midfield position, he lost possession 18 times. He won all four of the tackles he attempted but was only accurate with 65 percent of his passes.

Even with the support of Ashley Cole, and despite his best efforts, today showed that attack is not the strongest part of Bertrand's game.

Juan Mata

7.5/10

Juan Mata had an uncharacteristically quiet start to the game. His main contribution in the first half was to concede possession in midfield as he sat deeper than usual. It was a different story after halftime though.

Mata was involved on the edge of the box from the restart—after setting up what should have been Lampard's second of the game, he jinked his way into the box and unleashed a beautiful curling effort which swerved inside the far post. His passing was 87 percent accurate throughout the game and he created three chances for his teammates.

Without Mata, Chelsea's season would have been over before Christmas and it is imperative that he stays fit if the Blues want to improve.

Oscar

6/10

Oscar is a mercurial player who often disappears from games for extended periods, but when he gets involved, he draws opposition defenders to him in droves. He made four out of five tackles successfully, the highest total from a Chelsea player in this match, and had a passing accuracy of 74 percent. 

The young Brazilian set up Mata for what should have been his second goal with a beautifully weighted pass, but the Spaniard volleyed over under pressure.

Overall, it was a good performance from Oscar, but his impressive tackling hints that he would be better deployed in the holding role than as part of the attacking force.

Demba Ba

6/10

Demba Ba returned to Newcastle for the first time since his £7.5 million January transfer, and he was given the sort of welcome which has been reserved for Rafa Benitez at Stamford Bridge. He had the best chance for Chelsea in the first half with a shot which Tim Krul could only parry. Ba went for the rebound with his head, while former teammate Coloccini attacked the ball with his foot.

It didn't end well. The ball went just wide of the goal and Ba left the field for treatment—when he returned, it was clear that he couldn't continue. He was substituted for Fernando Torres on 42 minutes and it has been reported that his nose is broken.

Fernando Torres

5.5/10

Torres entered the game on 42 minutes and despite not having a single shot at goal, it was his pass which set up Juan Mata's wonder-strike. His total pass completion rate was 71 percent and he lost possession seven times from 21 touches.