RAMIRES AND WILLIAN SALVAGE CHELSEA A POINT VS NEWCASTLE

Brazilian Bench Men Salvage Chelsea Draw

Chelsea came from 2-0 down to rescue a point at St James’ Park, with Ramires and Willian – who were both second-half substitutes – scoring in the final quarter of the encounter. Although the champions dominated possession (65%), the Magpies actually recorded more shots on target (five compared to four), reflecting the Blues’ lack of quality in the final third.
Eden Hazard kept his points ticking over with an assist, but he offered little in the way of goal threat, taking just one shot throughout the match. Assessing the season as a whole, Hazard has fallen well short of justifying his 11.3m valuation. The fact that Lamela – who’s started just three games this term – has tallied an equal number of attempts (11) and one more shot inside the box (nine) is a damning indictment of the Belgian’s displays this campaign.
On the defensive front, Chelsea conceded two or more goals in five successive road ties for the first time in 23 years. Only Sunderland (16) have seen their net ripple on more occasions than the Blues’ beleaguered back line (14), discouraging the recruitment of their high-priced defenders.