The newly-promoted Newcastle United have been in ownership quandary in recent months and despite the best efforts from Rafael Benitez, the Magpies are struggling to retain their top-flight status in a congested bottom half of the Premier League table. FA Cup allowed them to play with more freedom and the ex-Chelsea boss were keen on causing another upset this afternoon when they travelled to Stamford Bridge to encounter Chelsea. The Blues have been struggling in recent weeks but it was still an uphill task for the visitors. The outing, as expected, proved to be another disappointing cup campaign for the Magpies who suffered a 3-0 defeat to get eliminated from the competition.
Below are the Newcastle United players rated from their defeat against Chelsea.
Karl Darlow: 6.5
Darlow could have done little to stop either of Chelsea’s goals in the first-half and failed to provide anything spectacular to make the outing a competitive one. Made a great effort to parry away Marcos Alonso’s volley early in the second half but could not stop the Spaniard from scoring another spectacular free-kick. Made a decent stop to deny Zappacosta and also stood tall to deny Batshuayi a hat-trick late in the game on a couple of occasions.
Jamaal Lascelles: 6
Was strong in the air, made some crucial clearances too, but was unlucky to concede late in the first-half as the ball was deflected off him and looped over Darlow to enter into the net.
Ciaran Clerk: 6.5
Clerk won a few duels, maintained composure but his positioning could have been better on a few occasions.
Chancel Mbemba: 5
Struggled against Eden Hazard and the one-twos inside the box made things more complicated for the defender. He, however, had a great attempt on target but was denied spectacularly by Chelsea custodian Willy Caballero.
Javier Manquillo: 5.5
Manquillo made some forward runs down the flank but lacked accuracy on most occasions and despite whipping in a few crosses, could not create any trouble in a resilient Chelsea defence. Was replaced by Jacob Murphy late in the game.
Isaac Hayden: 6
Helped his defence when required and tried to find his attackers inside the box with his long balls and crosses which, however, went in vain. Was replaced by Christian Atsu with 10 minutes remaining.
Jonjo Shelvey: 6.5
Looked lively, made their game fluid and tried to keep them in contention. Was denied by Caballero a few times and some of his efforts went off target.
Massadio Haidara: 7
Provided enough defensive cover with tackles, blocks, interceptions and also offered his presence upfront with crosses and key passes.
Matt Ritchie: 5
Whipped in a few crosses but could not provide anything spectacular to alter the scoreline. His off-form continues.
Henri Saivet: 5.5
Was handed another rare start, looked purposeful with his runs, played some decent passes, dribbled well on a couple of occasions but lacked enough support up front to cause enough threat.
Dwight Gayle: 5
Made a few good movements but his decision making and lack of composure could not provide enough threat in Chelsea backline. Was taken off and replaced by Joselu after the hour mark.
Substitutes
Joselu: 5
Came in place of Gayle, but failed to make a noteworthy contribution to stage a comeback.
Jacob Murphy: 5
Was impressive last week against Manchester City but didn’t offer much since coming on late in the game.
Christian Atsu: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
