Newcastle v Chelsea player ratings

Chelsea’s Premier League season ended in dismal fashion as they were easily beaten by Newcastle. Here’s how we rated each Blues player in the 3-0 defeat at St James’s Park.

Thibaut Courtois: 6

Made several decent saves, notably a fine low stop from Dwight Gayle’s strike but was partially to blame for the opening goal when, bizarrely, he tried to flap the ball away rather than punch it out wide and away from danger.

Cesar Azpilicueta: 6

The Spaniard played some decent balls out of defence and was one of the few players in a blue shirt to show much urgency but was still not at his best.

Andreas Christensen: 5

Like his defensive colleagues, it was a tough afternoon for Christensen as he was continually exposed by his side’s midfield shortcomings.

Gary Cahill: 5

Typically committed but part of an abject performance and a defence that conceded three goals and could easily have conceded many more.

Victor Moses: 5

Moses contributed more than most, and got forward plenty, but his defending for the opening goal was woefully bad as he showed a complete lack of awareness to the danger behind him.

N’Golo Kante: 7

The best of a bad, or at best a distinctly average, bunch, Kante’s work-rate and desire never faltered but he was overshadowed by Jonjo Shelvey in the midfield battle.

Tiemoue Bakayoko: 4

After a few encouraging displays, Bakayoko once again looked lost playing in a two-man midfield. The deeper role showed his defensive frailities, typified by his dreadful clearance for Newcastle’s game-clinching second goal.

Emerson: 5

He was still looking to make things happen in the closing stages but was on the periphery for most of the match. He made very little impact in attack and didn’t look in control defensively.

Ross Barkley: 6

Barkley looked surprisingly sharp after his latest return from injury and showed glimpses of the talent that could well come good next season. He should have scored with a second-half chance though.

Eden Hazard: 6

Saw as much of the ball as anyone and showed his usual strength and a willingness to try to make things happen. But aside from setting up a great chance for Barkley, he struggled to create opportunities.

Olivier Giroud: 5

The Frenchman won several good headers and almost scored with a fabulous first-time flick soon after the break when the score was 1-0, but was otherwise barely involved as Newcastle dominated all but a 10-minute spell just after the interval.

Alvaro Morata: 5

The game was well lost by the time Morata came on and he had almost no chance to shine.

Willian: 5

Made a couple of forays into Newcastle territory but it was all in vain. By not starting he will have actually enhanced his chances of being in the line-up for the FA Cup final.

Pedro: 5

He looked busy when he came on but, like Willian, his main plus point will be the fact he was not involved in the performance from the start.