when it seemed as though their season was poised to take another downward turn, Chelsea roared back to life with two goals in a span of 11 minutes to pull even with Newcastle United en route to a 2-2 draw. While that’s nothing to brag about considering Newcastle is currently in the relegation zone, it could have been worse had Chelsea not made it back.
It certainly hasn’t looked pretty early on for Jose Mourinho’s men and even with the single point, the defending Premier League champions are eight points back of top spot through only seven matches. Meanwhile, the outlook is even bleaker for a Newcastle side that is still winless on the season with a trip to Manchester City on the slate for next weekend. Here is a look at the biggest winners and losers from Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Newcastle United.
WINNER: Ramires
With the Blues desperate for a spark, it was Ramires that entered the game in the second half and provided exactly that with a blazing long-distance goal that cut the deficit to one. It seemed to energize Chelsea’s entire roster that was previously just going through the motions. Ramires didn’t get a point on the second goal by Willian but he was certainly in on that play as well as he got a head on the free kick that eventually ended up in the back of the net. Ramires’ energized play really sparked the Chelsea attack and was a big reason why they were able to salvage a point after an uninspired first half. They need more inspired efforts from him and hopefully it becomes contagious through the team, which has been mostly listless.
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LOSER: Loic Remy
For as good as Ramires was for the Blues, Remy was the opposite. Starting up front in place of the suspended Diego Costa, it seemed clear why there was so much debate before the season about whether or not he could perform as the next man up when Costa isn’t fit or able to play this season. Remy did have a couple of chances in the game but his shot was well off the mark and his inability to finish was notable after Chelsea went down early on. Chelsea needs a striker to compliment Costa and come off the bench to provide a scoring punch when needed. Their lack of depth at the position has really been exposed and on the weekend, we got a sneak peek at what this team would be like without Costa. Remy failed to prove he can be that option with a relatively poor showing in this contest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmzIVNNrwV0
WINNER: Alexsander Mitrovic
The 21-year-old Serbian forward returned from a three-match suspension with an inspired effort for Newcastle as he was all over the field for the first 85 minutes of the game. He really helped put the pressure on Chelsea’s back line. Steve McLaren alluded to Mitrovic’s importance after the match and it’s clear that even when he doesn’t score goals, he will still open up space and create chances as an integral piece in the Mapgies attack. Newcastle has managed just five goals in seven games this season but that number should improve with Mitrovic back creating opportunities for his teammates.
LOSER: The Home Fans
Newcastle looked destined to secure its first win of the season in a match few would have predicted it to come in. Even as bad as Chelsea has been, who really thought they’d drop a game to a team that’s been even more challenged than them so far this season? However, it proved to be too good to be true as things unraveled in a hurry for Newcastle. In the end, they would be disappointed once again as they were forced to settle for a draw. While the fans should be happy with a single point considering they had just two points through their first six games, the fact that Newcastle let a win slip away will be the more prominent memory for the fans. There certainly isn’t any comfort in the fact they will have to visit Manchester City next either in what has been a trying early season for Magpies fans so far.
