Any lingering hopes for Chelsea to finish in the top 4 was swept away as they lost to Newcastle United 3-0. The top four spot was not in their hands anymore as they had to hope that Liverpool would lose their final game at home. However, Chelsea couldn’t manage to do their bit as they succumbed at St.James’s Park to Rafael Benitez’s men
Chelsea were on the back foot pretty much throughout the game which is proven by the fact that their opposition managed 16 attempts on their goal and the Blues could muster up only 6. The deadlock was broken in the 23rd minute as Dwight Gayle headed in a rebound and gave Newcastle the lead.
Chelsea went into halftime with just one goal down and would have been looking to mount a comeback. However, things didn’t improve for them as Ayoze Perez deflected in Jonjo Shelvey’s long-range attempt after a poor clearance from Bakayoko. The third goal came about when Chelsea’s defence was caught sleeping on a set piece and Perez got a simple tap in to score his second of the game. He ended up as Newcastle’s leading scorer this term.
Here is how the Blues fared in their final game of the season.
Thibaut Courtois-4.5
Could have done a bit better for the first goal and parried the ball somewhere else instead of pushing it in a dangerous region. made some decent saves but was let down by his team’s shoddy defending and couldn’t have done much to prevent the other two goals.
Gary Cahill-3
The old warhorse’s time seems to be coming to an end with Chelsea as he failed to command the backline.
Andreas Christensen-3
The youngster still needs time to become a top-class defender. Was harried throughout the game by the likes of Dwight Gayle and Ayoze Perez.
Cesar Azpilicueta-4
One of the few players who seemed like who was putting in a shift. Had a forgetful game though and one expected much better from the usually reliable Spaniard.
Emerson-2
Was wasteful while going forward and defensively poor throughout the game.
Victor Moses-2
He was sleeping on the back post when Matt Ritchie found Ayoze Perez for the first goal which was rebounded in by Gayle. A poor show from the Nigerian wingback. Didn’t offer much while going forward and was all over the place defensively.
N’Golo Kante-5
Wasn’t helped by his defence today and tried everything he could to keep his side in the game. By his usual standards, he also suffered an off day.
Ross Barkley-4
Tried his level best in a rare start he got but wasn’t able to link up well with his team-mates. Missed a glorious chance from a point-blank range.
Tiemoue Bakayoko-2
Was he even visible on the pitch? The Frenchman offered nothing when he was on the ball and was a defensive liability for his team. His poor clearance led to the second goal which killed the game for his side.
Eden Hazard-3
Was left completely isolated for most of the games as Chelsea couldn’t manage to get the ball to their talismanic winger.
Olivier Giroud-4.5
Dubravka made a great save from an improvised chance made by Giroud. Like his attacking partner, he was isolated for the most part of the game.
Substitutes
Alvaro Morata-N/A
Came on a little too late to create an impact.
Willian-N/A
Came on too late.
Pedro-N/A
Had no time to impact the game.
