Chelsea vs. Newcastle: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Chelsea cruised to a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge Saturday behind goals from Oscar and Diego Costa.
The Blues did not start the match well, but they woke up after Oscar's 43rd-minute goal. After a strong start to the second half, Costa finished off a terrific team goal to seal the win in the 59th minute.
Thanks to their win at home and Manchester City's 1-1 draw at Everton, Chelsea are now two points clear of their main title rival in the English Premier League table.
Here's a look at the winners and losers from Chelsea's 15th league win of the season.
Winner: Willian
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Willian may not have scored the first goal, but he played a vital role in creating the 43rd-minute strike.
After the ball bounced off Fabricio Coloccini on the right side of the pitch, the Brazilian took a quick corner kick.
The midfielder was able to find an open Branislav Ivanovic on the right side of the penalty area and then the Serbian found a wide-open Oscar, who finished off the attacking move.
At that point in the match, Chelsea were in need of something positive in attack. Thanks to his quick thinking on the corner, Willian was able to provide the Blues with a much-needed boost before half-time.
Losers: Fabricio Coloccini and Paul Dummett
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The reason why Chelsea were able to find so much success on Willian's short corner was the lackadaisical defending by Newcastle.
The first defender at fault was Coloccini, who played the ball off the advertising boards instead of clearing it into the stands. By keeping the ball near the corner flag, the center back allowed Willian to take the quick corner.
As the corner was being taken by the Chelsea player, Paul Dummett let Ivanovic dart right past him on the right wing.
Thanks to Dummett's defensive lapse, Ivanovic was able to connect with Willian's pass and eventually find Oscar on the left side of the box.
The two errors in judgment by the pair of Newcastle defenders wasted a solid first-half performance by the visiting attack and handed Chelsea all the confidence they needed to finish off the match.
Winner: Diego Costa
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Diego Costa separated himself from Sergio Aguero at the top of the Premier League scoring chart Saturday, as he powered home his 15th goal of the season in the 59th minute.
Costa was able to finish off a brilliant move started by Eden Hazard and Oscar to put the game away in front of the home support at Stamford Bridge.
The goal was the third in four league games for the forward, who took an early lead in the scoring race with a fast start to the season.
Although he may not be scoring on multiple occasions like he did in August and September, Costa has shown over the last few games that he is still capable of popping up and netting a crucial goal.
Loser: John Terry
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On a day where he equaled Frank Lampard's number of total appearances for Chelsea, John Terry had an off day in the middle of the back four.
The English center back saw a few Newcastle players sprint right past him during the first half, which saw the Magpies dominate the number of attacking opportunities.
Both Remy Cabella and Moussa Sissoko created dangerous chances on goal after they were able to race around the Chelsea captain.
Although none of the chances earned by the Magpies in the first half resulted in a goal, Terry did look a bit flat against the pacey Newcastle attackers.
Winner: Oscar
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Oscar recovered from a rough first 40 minutes to provide Chelsea with a goal and an assist in the club's 10th league win at home this season.
The Brazilian wasted a few chances and earned a few offside calls during the first part of the first half, but he came alive in the 43rd minute, when he scored the first goal of the match.
After delivering the opening strike, the Brazilian was able to provide Diego Costa with a clever assist in the 59th minute.
Despite not having the best of starts, Oscar was still able to turn into an important player in the Chelsea attack when the Blues needed it the most.
The Brazilian's performance was a perfect representation of Chelsea as a whole Saturday. The Blues did not have a terrific first half, but their quality was enough to earn them three points.
Winner: Remy Cabella
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One of the few bright spots on the pitch for Newcastle was Remy Cabella, who was a menace to the Chelsea defense in the first half.
Cabella caused plenty of trouble to the Chelsea back four with his pace and dribbling skills throughout the first 45 minutes. But he was unable to create a key goal for the Magpies, who should have capitalized on at least one of their chances.
The Frenchman was the most active Newcastle player with 63 touches, per WhoScored, and he also created three shots against the league leaders.
If Cabella continues to play like he did Saturday for the rest of the season, Newcastle will be able to challenge some of the top sides in the league.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
