Match attendance: 52,208       

Who Was Man Of The Match? Reece James

Premier League leaders Chelsea defeated Newcastle 3-0 thanks to two fantastic goals from Reece James and a Jorginho penalty.

The Blues, who had only won two of their previous eight games at St James’ Park, had a much-changed lineup due to the absences of Romelu Lukaku, Mason Mount, Timo Werner, and Mateo Kovacic.

Callum Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech started that game, with the Moroccan international posing the most threat.

Tuchel’s men failed to get through despite having controlled possession in the first half, as Ziyech’s attempt was called out for offside when he curled the ball into the top corner following a Jorginho pass, and then Ziyech and Havertz both missed James’ cross when both should have scored.

Ziyech and N’Golo Kante were replaced by Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

James picked up the ball on the right flank, cut inside, and hammered a powerful shot into the top corner right after that. The right-back slammed another 12 minutes later to become joint-top scorer this season with four goals.

After that, Jorginho made it 3-0 from the penalty spot after Karl Darlow took down Havertz.

Chelsea moved three points clear of Liverpool, who were held 2-2 by Brighton, and Man City, who were defeated 2-0 by Crystal Palace.

Let’s check out Reece James’ MOTM worthy stats:

James Stats:

Rating: 9.84

Minutes played: 90

Pass accuracy %: 95

Touches: 84

Goal contribution: 2 Goals

Shots (on target): 4(3)

Dribbles: 2

Cross completion: 7(1)

Key Passes: 3

Aerial duels won: 2

Tackles: 1

Clearances: 2