Chelsea v Newcastle player ratings

The brilliant Eden Hazard scored a hat-trick as Chelsea stormed to the top of the Premier League. Here’s how we rated the players in their 3-0 win against Newcastle.

Petr Cech: 8
Produced an important stop shortly before Chelsea’s second goal when he saved at the feet of Moussa Sissoko, preventing an equaliser after the midfielder had been put through on goal. Cech was also down quickly to gather two low shots from Hatem Ben Arfa as Newcastle threatened in the first half.

Branislav Ivanovic: 7
Caught out defensively a couple of times in the first half but offered a constant attacking outlet on the right-hand side and linked up nicely with Hazard for the first goal.

Gary Cahill: 7
Solid at the back and organised the defence well in the absence of rested skipper John Terry.

David Luiz: 7
A minor mishap in the first half aside, Luiz was sensible on the ball as well as solid in the tackle. He was given some problems by Luuk de Jong though.

Cesar Azpilicueta: 8
Hazard rightly took the plaudits but he was able to concentrate on the attacking side of his game while Azpilicueta kept things ticking over at left-back. The Spaniard was rock-solid throughout, with Ben Arfa enduring a frustrating afternoon.

Nemanja Matic: 7
Not a man to be messed with in midfield, although Sissoko did cause some problems in a more advanced role than Chelsea were expecting. Matic was strong in the tackle and covered plenty of ground.

Frank Lampard: 7
Neat and tidy. Had a couple of early attempts on goal but after that was content to join Matic in controlling the midfield.

Oscar: 7
Not his day in an attacking sense but he was persistent and his movement alone caused Newcastle problems. Tracked back well too.

Willian: 8
A constant menace to the Newcastle defence with his relentless movement and closing down. Retains possession really well and links play effectively.

Eden Hazard: 10
A truly phenomenal display from Hazard, whose first two goals – cool finishes after exchanging passes with Ivanovic and Samuel Eto’o respectively – we’re pure class. He was superb down the left, beating his man at will.

Samuel Eto’o: 7
Did the job of a lone striker well, occupying defenders and creating space for Chelsea’s other attacking players. Combined beautifully with Hazard for the second goal.

Newcastle
Chelsea largely dominated but Newcastle had their moments in the first half and were disappointed Sissoko was unable to take his chance to equalise. De Jong and Sammy Ameobi were rightly singled out for praise by boss Alan Pardew for their displays and the Magpies defended well before being carved open by Hazard’s brilliance.

Man of the match: Hazard

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