Newcastle United were beaten in their latest Premier League clash on what was a difficult afternoon for the Magpies.
With Rafa Benitez clearly setting his Newcastle side up to try and frustrate Chelsea when the visitors went forward at St James’ Park on Sunday, it was always going to be a difficult afternoon for the Magpies’ attackers.
Newcastle went into the game with the Blues sporting a back five as they looked to try and get a positive result without Jamaal Lascelles, Jonjo Shelvey and Kenedy, who were all missing.
It appeared that the tactic may work as the game reached the final 15 minutes goalless. However, a very controversial penalty decision gave Eden Hazard the chance to break the deadlock. And the joy following Joselu’s equaliser was short-lived as DeAndre Yedlin scored an own goal in the final minutes.
It was perhaps not the most exciting performance from Newcastle, who allowed Chelsea to dominate possession, and it leaves Benitez’s men just outside the bottom three with one point coming from their first three games of the new campaign.
Given Newcastle’s tactics, it was undoubtedly a tricky afternoon for Jacob Murphy, who will be hoping for a significantly better season than his first on Tyneside.
The young winger tried to look lively and show some intent. And in response to his performance, several of the fans praised the former Norwich City man for his efforts. However, his display also attracted plenty of criticism, with many of the supporters still convinced that Murphy is not ready for the top flight more than a year after his £12 million move (fee reported by Sky Sports).
Here is what some of the Toon Army made of Murphy’s performance…
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