Werner helps Blues to a routine victory
NEWCASTLE UNITED 0 CHELSEA 2 Fernandez (10, og). Abraham (65)
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard singled out Timo Werner for special praise after the German starred in his side’s win over Newcastle at St James’ Park.
Werner’s second-half surge over the halfway line set up his side’s second goal for Tammy Abraham after an early Federico Fernandez own goal had set the Blues on their way to a fifth straight win.
Lampard said: “He ( Werner) had a couple of chances and some times it doesn’t go in for you, but I thought he was a real threat for us throughout.
“You need players of that quality to win games and the pace he travels with the ball is something special. He was so unselfish and you rely on those players who are top-class.”
While Lampard is refusing to get carried away with his side’s increasingly impressive run of form, he pointed to their defensive display as another reason why they may be in better shape to launch a title challenge.
“It’s nice to be in the position we are, and to have gained confidence from the clean sheets, which were a problem for us earlier in this season and parts of last, but we need to keep working and be consistent,” he said.
“The international break was challenging, but we came here against a team we lost to last year, we dominated possession and we scored our goals, and we could have scored more.”
Sean Longstaff’s stunning 30-yard drive which rattled the woodwork proved the only real positive for the home side, who simply struggled to match Lampard’s confident side for much of the afternoon.
The half-time loss of captain Jamaal Lascelles to injury hurt Newcastle, and a mistake by his replacement Fabian Schar teed up another chance for Werner, who was put through one-on-one with Karl Darlow, but he inexplicably sought to square the ball to Hakim Ziyech, and the Magpies cleared.
As Chelsea’s missed chances began to mount, the hosts began to scent an unlikely opportunity, with Isaac Hayden getting in a dangerous position before being hauled back for handball, and Joelinton curling an effort narrowly wide. Chelsea responded by doubling their lead in the 65th minute after a scintillating surge by Werner, who burst through the Newcastle back-line before unselfishly squaring to Abraham who slotted home.
Steve Bruce responded by throwing on Miguel Almiron in place of Javier Manquillo and Newcastle came close to halving the deficit, Longstaff ramming a shot against the bar from 30 yards, then Andy Carroll finding the side-netting.
Magpies boss Bruce bemoaned his side’s inability to make the most of their opportunities and admitted conceding early goals is becoming a worrying habit.
Bruce said: “That’s the fifth time we’ve been one down with five or 10 minutes played and we have to address that.
“We were better in the second half and we went higher up the pitch and had some big moments, but unfortunately we couldn’t take
one and Chelsea punished us with a poor goal that we gave away.
“I’m frustrated because we can’t get a result. We’ve played three of the top six in the last few weeks. It’s been difficult, but there was a lot to like about that second-half performance.”
Bruce revealed he had decided not to risk top scorer Callum Wilson due to recent hamstring issues, but hopes he will be back in the squad for the busy festive period.
“I couldn’t risk him because of the risk of a hamstring and missing for the next six weeks,” said Bruce.
“We’ve erred on the side of caution and we hope he’ll be available for us next week.
“One of the reasons why we bought him was to add some goals for us, which he’s obviously done, and we’ve now got two or three getting back to help that situation, and obviously Callum is one of them.”