Chelsea's biggest Premier League win in well over a year, since the 5-0 away to Swansea City in January 2014, saw plenty of good performances from the men in Blue, not least of which included the duo of Diego Costa and Eden Hazard. And two-goal man Pedro, though he had a couple dicey moments as well, including another horrendous midfield giveaway.
Hiddink is happy Pedro's hard work defensively was rewarded today by him scoring goals as well. #CFC
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 13, 2016
Hiddink says he is pleased with Diego Costa's display and pleased the team are angry about letting in a goal. #CFC
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 13, 2016
Costa didn't seem too bothered by his mask and broken nose, though on one occasion he opted to go for a more elaborate bicycle kick rather than a more straightforward header. But with Newcastle leaving plenty of space in which to operate, Costa managed a goal (his 10th in the league) and an assist in about an hour's worth of work. He seems ready for PSG.
Eden Hazard may have somehow stayed off the scoresheet (again) today, but he put in a good shift as well, and perhaps even more importantly, played the full 90. Whether that means that Hiddink isn't counting on him to play from the start on Tuesday, I'm not sure, but we need a fully healthy and fully capable Hazard if we are to make a deep Champions League or FA Cup run.
Hiddink on Hazard's return from injury: "We brought him step by step to a higher level. It's good to have him play 90 minutes."
— Dan Levene (@danlevene) February 13, 2016
Hazard looked to have a slight injury scare when his Achilles was trod on, but after a dose of magic spray, he was good to go on. John Terry was less fortunate and has apparently picked-up a hamstring injury.
Hiddink says John Terry has an injured hamstring: "Tomorrow there will be a scan, and then we will know more."
— Dan Levene (@danlevene) February 13, 2016
Depending on the severity, we might be looking at Cahill-Ivanovic for some time in the center of defense. Or perhaps Matt Miazga turns out to be the real deal, should he get a shot. Baba Rahman didn't exactly cover himself in glory in defense once again after he came on as a sub, but we might just have to keep running him out there and hope for the best.
PSG's wingers will no doubt take note of the ease with which Andros Townsend was allowed to waltz in from the wing and unleash a shot to score at his leisure. Tuesday's opponents in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 also played today, and while they only managed a disappointing 0-0 against Lille, their lead in the league is rather massive and they could afford to rest key players like Ibrahimovic, Verratti, Matuidi, and Lucas Moura. With Chelsea needing points against a team below us in the table to solidify our mid-table position, we were not afforded such luxuries. But this is a problem wholly of our own making, and we'll just have to deal with the non-ideal amount of rest before Tuesday's game.
Hiddink: "Two days' rest for teams competing in Europe is not enough. We need at least three days."
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) February 13, 2016
Hiddink: "I know there are commercial reasons we don't play Friday when have Tuesday game, but there has to be sporting reasons."
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) February 13, 2016
On the plus side, we should have plenty of confidence to build on after this result. And neither Mikel nor Oscar played today, and they could be key to keeping a tight ship against PSG.