1. EDEN HAZARD (8.3)

Minutes: 90
Touches: 134
Passes: 91/101
Shots: 1*/5
Take-ons: 3/6
Fouls drawn: 5

Eden Hazard was only supposed to go 60 minutes in this one, but thanks to Newcastle parking the Wall from Game of Thrones in front of their goal and Kovačić also being on a limited minutes-count, he had to go the distance. And that turned out to be a good thing, as he converted the penalty to open the scoring and won the free kick for the winning goal. It wasn’t necessarily vintage Hazard, but he did not give up despite a concentrated effort by the home side to literally kick him out of the game.

2. MARCOS ALONSO (8.1)

Minutes: 90
Touches: 108
Passes: 72/80
Shots: 0/1
Fouls drawn: 3
Tackles: 2
Clearances: 5

The one-man wrecking crew on the left flank. Of Chelsea’s 8 goals so far this season, Alonso has had a direct hand (well, foot) in 5: he scored one, he set up one, he won two penalties, and he took the shot that Yedlin diverted into his own net (Barkley was there to finish it off if Yedlin had just left it). So that’s a goal and four assists, by my count. Maybe that €60m rumored price tag wasn’t so outrageous?

3. JORGINHO (7.5)

Minutes: 90
Touches: 186
Passes: 158/173
Tackles+INTs+Blocks: 6

I guess we now like passing statistics. Thanks a lot, Jorginho.

vs. NEWCASTLE UNITED (PL, A, W 2-1)

EXCEPTIONAL (9.0+): —

EXCELLENT (8.0-8.9): Hazard (8.3), Alonso (8.1)

GOOD (7.0-7.9): Jorginho (7.5), Rüdiger (7.5), Kanté (7.2), Azpilicueta (7.1)

AVERAGE (6.0-6.9): Kovačić (6.9), Pedro (6.6), Willian (6.4, sub), Giroud (6.3, sub), Morata (6.2), Barkley (6.2, sub), Arrizabalaga (6.1)

POOR (5.0-5.9): David Luiz (5.7)

BAD (4.0-4.9): —

TERRIBLE (3.0-3.9): —

OVERALL