One 9/10, several 8s & a few 7s - Newcastle player ratings from huge Chelsea win

A huge win for Eddie Howe's Newcastle United last night, as an Anthony Gordon goal and some dogged defending throughout helped us to a 1-0 victory over Chelsea.

Here are our marks out of 10 and comments on each Mag involved in our first win at Stamford Bridge since 2012.

Starting 11

Ramsdale (8) - A rare and welcome clean sheet to cap off a good all round performance. Made some sharp saves and commanded his area well, which has been a weakness of his in the past. Undisputed No.1?

Livramento (8) - A welcome 90min under his belt as he showed no ill effects from his recent injury layoff. Played a great through ball for Willock which led to the game winning goal. Defended well and will only get better.

Thiaw (9) - Tremendous performance as repelled everything that was thrown into the box. Made a number of crucial blocks and interceptions throughout. Back to his very best.

Botman (8) - Approaching something resembling his best form but he was bailed out by Thiaw when he carelessly stepped out leaving acres of space in behind. Did sacrifice his body on numerous occasions to block shots and was fairly tidy in possession. Would seem as though he’s firmly third choice centre back when everyone is fit.

Hall (8) - As we’ve come to expect, another assured performance from Hall against his former employers. The improvements he has made as the season has gone on is remarkable. Has played a lot of football and will likely be called up by England so will need to be managed carefully.

Ramsey (8) - Finally looks at home in the black and white shirt as he’s starting to show everyone what he is capable of. A lot of his best work goes unnoticed as his intelligent positioning off the ball is a real highlight.

Willock (8.5) - Grabbed the assist for the winner with a superb run from midfield which cut through some awful Chelsea defence. This was much more like the Willock we know he can be but the challenge is to maintain this level of performance.

Woltemade (7) - Still showed his fragility in possession near his own box but this was a much better performance in central midfield. Clearly isn’t his position but his effort and willingness can’t be questioned. Put a shift in defensively and grew into the match, getting Caicedo booked with a nice driving run. 

Murphy (7) - Huge moment for Murph as he captained the side to a victory at Stamford Bridge. Really stepped up with a performance that was exactly what his manager would’ve been looking for. Didn’t offer a lot in attack but his defensive work and positioning were a real highlight.

Barnes (7) - Barnes operated higher than Murphy so had the job of carrying the ball out of trouble and he did it to good effect. No end product though with no shots or dribbles attempted.

Gordon (8) - Is really growing into the lone striker role as his relentless pressing and pace causes defences all sorts of problems. Took his goal well for just his second goal from open play in the league this season and won some vital free kicks late on. Will need an even bigger performance in Barcelona.

Substitutes 

Joelinton (6.5) - Came on to help shore up the midfield and protect the lead that we had. Bullied Enzo a few times and imposed himself on the game quickly.

Burn (7) - Won everything in the air and made an impressive 5 clearances in just 13min which shows you the kind of pressure Chelsea were putting on.

Elanga (6) - Brought on to utilise his speed on counter attacks but never really had an opportunity to get into the game.