Chelsea player ratings vs Newcastle: Two players star in comeback draw after dismal first-half
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Reece James' brilliant free-kick goal inspired Chelsea to salvage a point after a disastrous first half in the 2-2 draw with Newcastle United on Saturday.
It was as bad a start as it could be for Chelsea at St James' Park, as Newcastle took the lead 4 minutes into the game through Nick Woltemade.
The visitors had a hard time settling into the game, and Newcastle did not miss their chance to double their lead with Woltemade scoring his second goal in the 20th minute.
Down to goals, Chelsea needed a miracle, and it came after the break.
Reece James scored a direct free-kick from range, and it was suddenly game on.
Enzo Maresca finally deployed Enzo Fernandez, whose appearance among the substitutes initially came as a surprise, to add more control in midfield.
Ironically, it was from Robert Sanchez's direct pass to Joao Pedro that Chelsea found the equaliser. The Brazil international beat his defender and calmly slotted the ball past Aaron Ramsdale.
It was end-to-end football from both sides after that in search of a late winner, but they had to settle for a draw.
While Chelsea should be disappointed to drop points, given the first-half situation, Maresca and the players can be proud of the second-half performance.
Chelsea remain fourth in the Premier League table, but several teams, Crystal Palace, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Sunderland, could catch them on points depending on their results.
The Blues are on a strong +12 goal difference, though, so they should stay in the top four over Christmas and until they face Aston Villa next Saturday.
Here are the Chelsea player ratings, according to SofaScore.
Starting XI
Robert Sanchez: 7.4
Malo Gusto: 5.8
Wesley Fofana: 6.1
Trevoh Chalobah: 6.5
Marc Cucurella: 6.4
Reece James: 8.1
Moises Caicedo: 7.5
Pedro Neto: 6.6
Cole Palmer: 6.4
Alejandro Garnacho: 6.1
Joao Pedro: 8.1
Substitutes
Enzo Fernandez: 6.5
Andrey Santos: 6.7
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.