Sunday, 3 November 2013

Arsène Wenger's delight at 'consistent and convincing' Arsenal - The Guardian

Arsène Wenger praised his Arsenal players for proving they can win key contests against fellow challengers for honours after Liverpool were dismissed 2-0 to hoist the Londoners five points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Arsenal, who have doubts over the availability of both Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs for Wednesday's Champions League group game at Borussia Dortmund, saw his team recover from successive home defeats in cup competitions to move clearer at the summit of the division. Those losses to Borussia and Chelsea had prompted scepticism over the side's staying power – with this came a statement of intent with the return in Germany and then a trip to Manchester United next Sunday.

"We needed to respond today because that Chelsea game, while not as important as this match, was still a disappointment so we had to convince people we can win these big games," said Wenger. "To win it in such a convincing way was even more important. I'm always confident but of course it's a long way to go. Had we not won, people would have said Arsenal cannot win big games at home. But we did it in a convincing way, so it's a vital win at the start of an important week for the team and the club, and no one would dispute we deserved to win.

"We had a good solidarity, a good focus, and I believe we have plenty of other big games coming up and we can do well in them. This is an unpredictable division this year. Who would have said that Chelsea would lose to Newcastle today after the way they played on Tuesday night? That's the Premier League. It'll come down to consistency and, since 1 January 2013, we've had the same group and shown that consistency. Since our massive blip against Aston Villa[a 3-1 home defeat on the opening day], we've been consistent, and 25 from 10 games is a respectable number of points."

Wilshere was absent here with an inflamed ankle, with his fitness to be monitored before the midweek trip to the Ruhr Valley. Gibbs suffered a calf problem late in the match, and will also need to be scanned, but had played his part in a fine team display capped by Aaron Ramsey's wonderful goal. "You cannot single anyone out today," added Wenger. "Our defensive performance was outstanding and kept Sturridge, Suárez, Gerrard, Coutinho and Moses quiet, so our defenders deserve a lot of credit.

"The players know each other better and have improved individually and collectively, and, tactically, we dealt well with what Liverpool offered and stopped them from playing. We are overall defensively a better team these days. But now we go game to game. Dortmund is another big match where we need, absolutely, a result. But this win puts us mentally in better condition. We live in a world where you are constantly questioned, and the only response you can give is on the football pitch. That's what we have done."

José Mourinho condemns Chelsea's 'really bad performance' at Newcastle - The Guardian

José Mourinho claimed to have "made 11 mistakes" when it came to team selection after Newcastle United ended his Chelsea side's nine-game unbeaten run. The Portuguese has never won a Premier League game at St James' Park and second-half goals from Yoan Gouffran and Loïc Rémy on Tyneside ensured that this sequence continued with a 2-0 defeat.

After the match Mourinho did not hold back in criticising his side. "The result is a consequence of one team that was not there," the Chelsea manager said. "I feel I made 11 mistakes. Of course I'm exaggerating, we had some guys with normal good performances but the overall feeling is I made 11 bad choices. It was a really bad performance from us. In the first 45 minutes we played as if it was a friendly.

"Everything was lacking. We had lots of space in the first half, it was an easy half to play but we didn't play. We had the ball and space but we weren't aggressive. We lost the ball during very simple transitions and were not intense. We deserved to lose.

"We had space to play in between the lines and could have hurt our opponents but we touched the ball side to side rather than playing it forward. We were slow with no sharpness. We had a good reaction when they scored but it was too late."

Struggling to contain his anger, Mourinho was left to reflect on his struggles by the Tyne. "I've never won here in the league but it's a difficult place," he said. "The crowd is fantastic and you have to come with a certain mentality if you want to win here."

"We had a couple of good chances to equalise but Newcastle were more in the game than us, they fought more, were much more committed. They did much to win and for sure they were the best team on the pitch. I told my team at half-time that I've been in the game for many, many years and I was smelling what was happening. I didn't like my team today. I'm disappointed."

In contrast Alan Pardew was so overjoyed that he dedicated the victory to Mike Ashley. Considering Newcastle's owner has harshly banned three local newspapers that will not play well with many fans but few would begrudge the Newcastle manager's delight at his side's first home league win for two months, especially after the disappointment of last Sunday's defeat at Sunderland. "We were a bit conservative at first," Pardew said. "But we knew we could put them under pressure in the second half, we did and it worked."

When Yohan Cabaye's free-kick was headed home by Gouffran a watershed was reached. "Yohan executed it on the money and Gouff connected brilliantly," Pardew said. "I felt confident we could win from that point. We've been playing well lately but we got the break today. We've got quality and if we keep this work rate up we've got a chance of having a good season."

Premier League: Newcastle beat Chelsea 2-0 at St James' Park - SkySports

Newcastle United produced an impressive second-half performance to beat Chelsea 2-0 at St James' Park to record a first home Premier League win in two months.

Jose Mourinho's side headed to the north east on the back of a nine-game unbeaten run in all competitions, but were undone by goals from Yoan Gouffran and Loic Remy.

Chelsea had made the brighter start to the game and struck the crossbar twice in the 13th minute through captain John Terry and fellow defender Branislav Ivanovic following a Juan Mata corner.

Terry saw another header cleared off the line by Davide Santon, while Newcastle could only muster shots from Yohan Cabaye and Moussa Sissoko which drew comfortable saves from Petr Cech.

But Newcastle were much improved after half-time and, after Cech had saved from Sissoko and Gouffran, the hosts took the lead on 68 minutes.

Cabaye curled in a brilliant free-kick from deep and Gouffran had been left unmarked to head beyond an exposed Cech.

The visitors came close to equalising 10 minutes from time when Willian's shot was pushed out by Tim Krul and fellow substitute Samuel Eto'o's follow-up was blocked by Mathieu Debuchy.

Newcastle then wrapped up the points a minute from time when Vurnon Anita's low pass teed up Remy to flash a left-footed shot in off the post to leave Mourinho still waiting for his first Premier League win at St James' Park.

On a miserably cold and wet Tyneside afternoon, the fare on offer initially did little to lift the mood as an attritional game unfolded.

Chelsea started confidently and pinned their hosts back for long periods with Eden Hazard leading the home defence a merry dance.

The inability of Alan Pardew's men to retain possession for anything other than a few seconds left them constantly under pressure with Hazard and Oscar capitalising on their profligacy.

They had to ride their luck at times with the crossbar coming to Krul's rescue twice within seconds in the 13th minute, when Terry climbed highest to head Mata's corner against the woodwork before Ivanovic's deflected follow-up was repelled in similar fashion.

But, for all their pressure, the visitors were unable to test Krul further and, as they gradually found their feet, the Magpies began to compete.

And, as they grew in confidence, both Cabaye and Sissoko tested Cech after more enterprising build-up play.

Newcastle resumed on the front foot after half-time and attempted to attack Chelsea, although their wastefulness in possession continued to court disaster.

But it was the Magpies who went close to the opening goal twice within seconds when Cech made a fine save from Sissoko's skidding 60th-minute effort after he had been played in by Debuchy and Remy volleyed straight at the keeper from Ameobi's knock-down.

Buoyed by the growing momentum, Pardew sent on Papiss Cisse for Ameobi as Willian and Eto'o replaced Oscar and Fernando Torres, but it was Gouffran who tested Cech at the foot of his near post after cutting inside Ivanovic with 25 minutes remaining.

But the Frenchman was not to be denied and he got his reward three minutes later in spectacular style.

Cabaye's curling free-kick caused all kinds of problems for the Chelsea defence and Gouffran read it perfectly to dive and power a header past Cech.

Mourinho swiftly replaced Frank Lampard with Andre Schurrle, but the home side might have increased their lead with 72 minutes gone when Sissoko and Remy carved a path through the blue shirts before the latter saw his shot blocked by the sliding Terry.

However, Krul had to be at his best 10 minutes from time to beat away Willian's snapshot with an instinctive save, and Debuchy was on hand to block Eto'o's follow-up to ensure the points remained on Tyneside.

Hazard fired inches wide with four minutes remaining, but Remy made sure at the death when he thumped Anita's pull-back past the helpless Cech.

Arsenal celebrate as Aaron Ramsey's goal clinched a 2-0 win over Liverpool - SkySports

Arsenal celebrate as Aaron Ramsey's goal clinched a 2-0 win over Liverpool

Arsenal celebrate as Aaron Ramsey's goal clinched a 2-0 win over Liverpool

Arsenal opened up a five-point gap at the top of the Premier League thanks to an impressive 2-0 win over Liverpool at Emirates Stadium.

Santi Cazorla broke the deadlock for the Gunners with a fine volley in the 19th minute after his initial header had hit the post.

Aaron Ramsey then continued his superb form with a stunning strike from outside the area just before the hour mark and Liverpool could not find a response.

Arsenal, without midfielder Jack Wilshere who had been troubled by an ankle problem, created the first opening on six minutes when Tomas Rosicky was played into the right side of the penalty area and his low shot across goal was pushed behind by Simon Mignolet.

Liverpool, though, were soon on the offensive as Jordan Henderson waltzed all the way into the Arsenal penalty area, before scuffing his shot.

The visitors then settled into a good spell of possession, as Arsenal chased shadows.

Arsenal, though, swept into the lead on 19 minutes. A quick break down the right found Bacary Sagna on the overlap. His cross was behind Olivier Giroud, but fell perfectly for Cazorla on the penalty spot.

The Spaniard's bullet header beat Mignolet, but cannoned back off the post. Cazorla, though, was first to the rebound ahead of a static Martin Skrtel and lashed a fine half-volley back past the goalkeeper.

Liverpool were understandably rattled after being so dominant - and were left further aggrieved when Suarez took a quick free-kick after being pushed over by Sagna, which released Daniel Sturridge who crossed for Henderson to tap into the net - only for referee Martin Atkinson to pull play back and book the Arsenal defender.

Arsenal pressed again as Ramsey got into the left side of the penalty area and his low shot was palmed away by Mignolet at the near post.

Reds boss Brendan Rodgers made a positive change for the second half as Aly Cissokho was replaced by midfielder Phillippe Coutinho.

Suarez was released into the right side of the Arsenal box, but could only chip the ball across goal.

Liverpool broke quickly down the left through Suarez, only for his deep cross to be blasted over at the far post by Henderson.

Convincing win pleases Wenger

There was a huge let-off for the visitors when a loose back-pass from former Arsenal defender Kolo Toure was seized on by Giroud, who charged into the penalty area but chipped his shot wide.

Giroud then just could not get on the end of a quick counter attack from Rosicky and Cazorla down the left.

It was, though, 2-0 on 59 minutes as Ramsey cracked home another goal of the highest order.

There seemed little danger when Mesut Ozil fed the Wales midfielder in a central position, some 20 yards out.

However, as Toure backed off, Ramsey waited for the bouncing ball to sit up before dispatching a dipping volley over Mignolet and into the back of the net.

Rodgers - Best team won

Rodgers decided to make another attacking change as he sent on Victor Moses for Jon Flanagan.

Suarez shaved the far post from a curling effort with the outside of his right boot as the Reds looked for a way back into the match.

Mignolet saved low at his near post to deny Ozil after the German weaved into the left side of the Liverpool box.

Kieran Gibbs hobbled off after a burst down the left flank, and had to be replaced by club captain Thomas Vermaelen.

Arsenal were pressed back during the final 10 minutes, with Suarez dragging a shot wide when clean in on goal - but the hosts had already done enough to record the most impressive of their eight Premier League wins so far.

Chelsea's winning run fuelled by 'collective soul', says José Mourinho - The Guardian

José Mourinho says Chelsea's "collective soul" is fuelling their drive for success and defying their rivals who hoped for disintegration at Stamford Bridge.

One of the biggest challenges facing the manager when he returned to the club in the summer was to ensure that the size of Chelsea's squad and the characters within it did not lead to disharmony – the signs so far suggest that he is achieving that despite early setbacks and controversial decisions.

Consecutive defeats to Everton and Basel in September tested unity at the club, and some of Mourinho's choices have been widely criticised – such as regularly omitting Juan Mata and letting Romelu Lukaku leave on loan – but Chelsea go into Saturday's match at Newcastle United on the back of six successive wins in all competitions that have suppressed grumbles.

That, declares Mourinho, is because players who might have been expected to sulk or agitate after being left out of the starting lineup have instead concentrated on delivering match-winning performances when eventually called upon, as evidenced by Wednesday's comprehensive Capital One Cup victory at Arsenal by a side made up mostly of players who have featured only infrequently this season.

"I think a big team has, as we say in Portuguese, a 'state of soul,'" said Mourinho. "At the moment my players have this collective soul. A good squad with good people and we try our best in every match.

"[A collective soul] is the ambition to do well for the team. It's what [Samuel] Eto'o did against Manchester City, coming in for 10 minutes. It was what Demba [Ba] did at Arsenal, coming in for the last 10 minutes … it's what they are all doing. The team is more important than the individual. [It's saying:] 'I have my individual ambitions and targets and I want to go to the World Cup and play every game and be in the first team for every match, but the team is more important than me. When I'm not playing, I'm supporting my mates. When somebody makes a mistake, I'm there to try to correct his mistake.'"

That unity is a quality that Mourinho failed to inspire at his last post, as divisions in the Real Madrid dressing room ultimately led to his departure, but, as it happens, the most prominent exponents of it at Chelsea are Spaniards. Mata, the club's player of the season for the last two years, has responded positively to his manager's demand for improvement and declared this week, after a splendid display against Arsenal, that he is happy to stay at the club and fight to regain a regular starting place; and Fernando Torres, for so long a forlorn figure at Stamford Bridge, has appeared revitalised in recent weeks. Mourinho says the striker's resurgence is a reward for his exemplary attitude. It is a revival that has amazed many Chelsea watchers but not Mourinho, who says he was told to expect that he and Torres would thrive together.

"[Torres] is close to one of my players at Madrid, Alvaro Arbeloa," Mourinho said. "During the holidays Arbeloa was always telling me that [Torres] is a fantastic professional. He told me: 'You will be able to get the best out of him because you have some common principles: team ethic and work.' Arbeloa knows him very well from Liverpool and the national team. He told me: 'You will have a good surprise with the person and his principles.' We want to win, we want to work for the team, the team is more important for us. The working period is a sacred period for us. So he has made himself better ... the same way he was being criticised for so long, now you must give him the credit for doing things by himself."

Saturday, 2 November 2013

Newcastle United 2 Chelsea 0: match report - Telegraph.co.uk

"I didn't like my team today. I made 11 mistakes in picking the team. That is how I feel at the moment. Of course this is an exaggeration, we had some players who had normal performances, but I feel as though I made a mistake."

Chelsea deserved to lose. They may have had some good chances to score both before Yoan Gouffran gave Newcastle United the lead and after, but the home side sat back in the first half and allowed them to play.

In the second, when Alan Pardew's men threw off the defensive shackles and had the ambition to take the game to the opposition, Chelsea buckled in a manner that causes serious questions to be asked in Mourinho's first year back as manager.

In turn, this was not so much a victory for Newcastle United as a tonic for so many ills that have gradually weakened this proud club at the heart of a football mad city.

Having lost the derby at Sunderland last Sunday and been knocked out of the Capital One Cup by Manchester City in midweek, this was a timely reminder that for all of the animosity towards Newcastle's owner Mike Ashley, manager Alan Pardew does have a side who are capable of beating the best when they get it right.

It was a win that, for the time being at least, has given supporters depressed by Ashley's handling of their club, enormous pride in those who represent them in black and white stripes.

"Some game plans in football don't always come to light but we started conservatively as if you go chasing the ball from the start against Chelsea they stamp their authority," explained Pardew.

"We put the back four under pressure in the second half and we cranked it up as the game wore on.

"I think we should really have three more points than we've got, but when we show that sort of work rate, we have quality players here who can win games. If we carry on playing like this, we're going to have a good season.

"We've got good spirit and togetherness and we have some good players. You can't have anyone drifting around, you have to have everyone working hard and we got that I said I thought we were playing well and should have won at Sunderland and could have beaten Manchester City, but you need a break in games and we got that today. We had just got the crowd going and we scored at the perfect time."

Both sides were nullified as an attacking force in the first half, Chelsea's best chances coming from a corner, while Newcastle tried their best to pounce on the counter-attack but rarely got anywhere near Chelsea's goal.

John Terry came closest to opening the scoring, heading powerfully against the crossbar from a Juan Mata corner. Newcastle did not clear the danger and Branislav Ivanovic hooked the ball back on to the roof of the bar with the help of a deflection off Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa.

Chelsea felt as though they should have been awarded a penalty when Mata tripped over the leg of the hugely impressive Mathieu Debuchy. Sometimes they are given, sometimes they are not.

The game ignited at the start of the second half and it was Newcastle who had the flame in their hand. Shola Ameobi had forced his way through the middle of the Chelsea defence but shot tamely.

Debuchy then robbed Eden Hazard just inside the Chelsea half and threaded a through ball for Moussa Sissoko who only had Loïc Rémy for support so decided to shoot, but Petr Cech made a sharp save.

St James' Park found its voice, Newcastle rediscovered their mojo. Ameobi headed back across goal for Rémy, who should have scored, but fired too close to Cech.

Gouffran, cut inside Ivanovic and the Chelsea goalkeeper made another important save.

The momentum was black and white and when Ashley Cole fouled Sissoko, Yohan Cabaye's delivery was sublime, the ball landing on the head of Gouffran after Frank Lampard had misjudged its flight.

Newcastle had the lead and clung on to it. Tim Krul made one important save to keep out substitute Willian and Debuchy got an equally important block in on Samuel Eto'o.

With five minutes remaining, Hazard had a wonderful chance to equalise, but dragged his shot wide of the far post.

Rémy showed him how it should be done, taking advantage of some brilliant work by Vurnon Anita, who skipped past a defender and picked him out perfectly.

The striker, on loan from QPR, scored his sixth goal of the season via the inside of the post and celebrated by kissing a small boy on the top of his head in the crowd.

They may have been soaked to the skin by incessant rain, but this was a day that gave Newcastle supporters a reason to feel warm inside again.

Newcastle United v Chelsea: live - Telegraph.co.uk

Moments before Yoann Cabaye produced the free kick for Newcastle's opener, the midfielder had been speaking to his manager. What did he say?

"I just said to whip it on the back of 'em, because he's got such a fantastic shape on him, the cross that he hits. It changed the game and got us a reward. We'd exerted so much energy in midweek we decided to be very cautious in the start. We knew in the second half with three subs we could exert more pressure."

14.46 The turning point in that second half seemed to come on the hour mark, when Luiz's nervy waft at the ball allowed Ameobi to break through for Newcastle's first attack of note. Would things have been different had Gary Cahill been on the pitch?

14.40 One of the things Pardew said before the game was that he thought substitutions would be crucial. How right he was: both goals were scored by starters, but their killer second was created after some excellent interplay between two subs, Anita and Obertan (who admittedly failed to do anything else useful in his time on the pitch). Tactically it was an extremely impressive win from Newcastle, who sat tight for an hour or so before bursting into life when the game began to open up in the second half.

14.37 I'll stick around for a few minutes to see if Alan Pardew tries his hand at a Jose-style obnoxious celebration. In the meantime, Alan Tyers has got the Premier League clockwatch up and running for the 3pm games. They don't feature Joe Hart.

90 min+5 Luiz produces an impressive cross from very deep on the right and Chelsea win a corner... But Newcastle see it off and that's the last action of the game. What a performance from Newcastle.

90 min+3 A Chelsea move breaks down when Oscar tries to be a bit too clever with a reverse pass, and Newcastle break before being pulled up for a foul.

90 min+2 Two shots from the edge of the box from Samuel Eto'o, two practically suicidal blocks from Yanga-Mbiwa, who I unwisely dissed in the first half.

90 min+1 But there'll be five minutes added on. Newcastle break again, but Obertan can't keep control of his emotions. He loses control of the ball and Chelsea regroup.

GoalGOAL! Remy wins it for Newcastle! Another brilliant goal, and it's earned by Vurnon Anita, who dribbles mazily around two challenges between the penalty box and the corner flag before working the ball back to Remy, whose first-time shot is a beauty, crashing in off the post. Again, Cech has no chance.

86 min Ramires' cross falls between Hazard and Schurrle on the left-hand corner of the area. Hazard takes control and tries to guide the ball inside the far post with the outside of his boot, only to watch his effort skid narrowly wide.

85 min Obertan replaces Gouffran. Sissoko swings in a dangerous cross from the right after a nice shouldered knock-down from Cisse, but Remy's header flies over the bar.

82 min Chelsea are playing with a line of four or five forwards now, but this isn't going to be easy for them. They are rebuffed by two ranks of black and white shirts and after some directionless passing the ball has to be recycled back to Hazard in an innocuous position on the left. He picks out Oscar on the opposite flank, but he too is in an innocuous position.

80 min Schurrle wins a header but directs it wide. Newcastle are starting to creak. If they were a submarine, water would be spurting in alarmingly between groaning rivets. 10 minutes or so before they reach the surface. Will the air hold out? End of metaphor.

79 min That's the best chance Chelsea have produced yet - the ball's pulled back to Willian on the edge of the box, who tries a guileful curler which Krul instinctively palms back out into danger. Eto'o's follow-up effort is blocked superbly by Mathieu Debuchy.

77 min Chelsea push forward but still can't prise Newcastle apart. A series of balls-in cleared by Newcastle. "Pardew would win by a mile," offers William Hargreaves. "I reckon Mourinho would cave in, either that or get really nasty when things started to slip – take Pardew's jewels in his fist, kind of thing. But the fight is unlikely to start, probably, until the end, anyway." That's enough about Pardew's jewels, William.

75 min Luiz goes into the book for a late, unnecessary shove on Remy. Willian tries to feed the ball through for Oscar, quiet so far, who's darting to the byline. Too much on the pass.

73 min Ivanovic pulls a low cross back for Eto'o, whose first touch brings the ball under control. He pulls the trigger but his shot flies into the prone Yanga-Mbiwa. Chelsea howl for a penalty - they think it struck the defender's hand. Would've been harsh.

71 min This is beautiful from Newcastle. Sissoko surges past Ivanovic on the right, finds Remy inside him, and Remy skips away from a succession of challenges, looking certain to lose the ball at every moment. A one-two with Sissoko sends him clear; he's denied by a last-ditch block from John Terry.

70 min Mourinho, who's never won at this ground in the lead, brings on Schurrle for Lampard. Let's see how this Chelsea copes in adversity.

GoalGOAL! Newcastle take the lead through Gouffran! But what an amazing pass from Cabaye, who whips a simply undefendable cross across goal from a dead-ball on the right. Gouffran has got goalside of Ivanovic and he connects with a diving header which gives Cech no chance.

65 min Gouffran steps infield from the left, leaving Ivanovic flat-footed, and his low drive draws a good save from Cech - much the busier of the two keepers despite Chelsea's superiority for much of the game - at the near post.

64 min Eto'o steps over a low pass from Luiz after a driving run from the Brazilian. Nobody's behind him to benefit from this attempted trickery.

63 min Torres comes off for Eto'o, Ameobi for Cisse, Mata for Willian.

61 min More chances for Newcastle and suddenly St James' Park is rocking. First an excellent pass from Debuchy sends Sissoko free down the right. He shoots from close range at a right angle; Cech needs great reflexes to deflect the ball wide. Remy comes close with a volley from close range after Ameobi's knock-down, then he has another crack from distance moments later.

59 min Shola Ameobi is suddenly through after Luiz and Lampard couldn't decide who was going to clear up a loose ball. Luiz wafted a foot at it and suddenly Ameobi's got a clear path to goal, though he's a good way out. Instead of thumping a shot frmo the edge of the box he tries to pick out Remi but the ball's cut out.

57 min Great interception from Yanga Mbiwa, getting a foot to Luiz's long ball at full stretch with Torres behind him. Turns out Torres was offside, but still. Tiote was replaced by Vurnon Anita a few minutes back, by the way. Sorry. I know I should have informed you sooner.

56 min Hazard is still on the pitch but limping; Willian is warming up.

54 min Hazard miscontrols a pass and tumbles to the turf as though tripped by a Geordie ghost. Newcastle break before Chelsea get a chance to put the ball out of play. Turns out he was limping before he fell, having clashed with Tiote moments earlier.

52 min Hazard steals the ball inside his own half and zips off into Newcastle's half, dodging tackles. Chelsea sweep forward with the clear intention of putting Newcastle under pressure, but the pace drains from the move and it culminates with Eden Hazard easily beaten to Frank Lampard's final pass.

50 min Torres pushes Yanga-Mbiwa over. Back to his best!

49 min A couple of balls-in from Cabaye, stationed for the time being on the right, both close to being dangerous for Chelsea. But neither is actually dangerous.

47 min The unimpressive Yanga-Mbiwa doesn't get enough on his header, which bounces straight to Mata. Mata to Oscar! Oscar through the middle for Torres, and he's clean through! However, he's also clean offside.

46 min OK, there's a second half going on. Let's hope it's better than the first. You know what I think? I think it will be. #Trust.

HALF TIME Lee Mason whistles the first period to a close with Jose Mourinho already heading for the dressing room, having seen enough. The two best chances fell to John Terry from corners, which gives some indication of what kind of match this has been. Chelsea have been superior without doing anything all that good; Newcastle have looked steady enough at the back while giving the ball away too frequently in midfield.

Half-time chatter: David James reckons Juan Mata might have won a penalty on the 23rd minute when he went down in the penalty area had he gone down with a little more theatricality. David Ginola manages to concur without doing any rude hand-gestures. Down on the touchline, BT's irate voice of reason Mark Halsey disagrees furiously, suggesting that a penalty might have led to a riot.

44 min Cabaye gives the ball to Eden Hazard then fouls him cynically. Eden has a roll around, looking undignified. Cabaye's one of those players - like Xabi Alonso - who's dirtier than his reputation as a classy technician lets on.

43 min Mata has the ball in the net but but is immediately pulled up for a sneaky tug on Williamson's shirt as they waited for a cross to come in.

42 min Moussa Sissoko is the first player to be booked after crunching Ivanovic with a scything tackle without getting particularly near the ball.

40 min Newcastle have another couple of glimpses of the Chelsea goal, as Debuchy swings in a cross from the right before good work from Ameobi almost opens up a shooting angle.

38 min Newcastle break from the corner, with SIssoko cutting infield from the left. His driven effort from Inside the box takes a deflection off Ramires and skids towards the near post, but Cech is equal to it.

37 min Mata tries to play Torres in with a lofted pass and wins a corner, which he takes himself. Newcastle see it off. Chelsea win another corner, again on the right hand side, and this time Lampard takes it. Terry wins the header again and again it's a dangerous effort. Santon, stationed on the back post, bundles the ball off the line.

35 min A tense spell of Newcastle possession, with Chelsea hounded them in midfield, comes to an end when Luiz easily cuts out a long ball aimed for Remy. He glides towards the centre circle and hoiks a high ball over the top for Mata, but it's overhit.

32 min Tiote takes out Oscar on the halfway line as they competed for a header. That looked accidental - Tiote slipped on the greasy turf and tumbled into the Brazilian's back - but he still gets a ticking-off.

30 min That's a decent effort from Cabaye, a low ping struck with his left from just outside the D, pouncing on a neat-lay off from Remy after Sissoko's long ball. It's bound for the bottom right corner of Cech's goal but the keeper saves without too much bother.

28 min Hazard skips all too easily past Yanga-Mbiwa and makes for the byline. His cross eludes everybody in the box and bounces away from danger. Chelsea haven't created a clear-cut chance yet but they look much the more likely team to score.

25 min A moment of class from Frank Lampard, just short of midfield perfection. He intercepts a pass in the centre circle, escapes his man with a one-two with Ramires, and suddenly in a couple of seconds he's taken the Newcastle midfield out of the equation. His angled through-ball, though, is a little too under-powered to release Eden Hazard.

23 min Bewildering interplay between Mata and Hazard, who exchange two or three one-twos, trying to befuddle Newcastle with geometry. Mata goes down under a challenge from Debuchy inside the box - nothing given - and the ball bounces wide to Ashley Cole, whose low thumped effort is comfortably saved by Krul.

21 min Lampard thumps a free kick miles out of play from a promising position by Chelsea's left touchline.

18 min At the other end, Gouffran swivels away from Luiz to make a little bit of space in front of the Chelsea box and slots a pass through the defenders to Remy. Slightly overhit and it rolls out of play.

17 min Torres shows a burst of speed to win a 50-50 ball after a hopeful ball upfield from Oscar, then considerably strength to bounce off a couple of challenges and keep control by the corner of the box. He does well to poke the ball back to Ivanovic, whose cross goes out for a corner. Nothing comes of it.

16 min Terry does well to get a foot to a huge route-one pass aimed at Loic Remy.

14 min A speculative through-ball from Luiz rolls right to Yanga-Mbiwa, who's under no pressure but fails to control the ball on the slippery surface. Luckily for him, the ball bounces away to a team-mate.

12 min Mata whips in a peach of a corner from the right and Terry beats Williamson to the header. Krul's beaten but the ball crashes against the bar and back into play, falling to Ivanovic, who goes for an spectacular overhead kick. The ball loops up and bounces against the top of the bar for a second time.

11 min Sissoko, in the right-back's position, thumps a long ball towards the Chelsea penalty area for Debuchy, who's making a centre-forward's run. Total football! The ball goes out of play.

9 min Ameobi knocks down a long ball to Remi and charges into the box in expectation of a return ball, but Remi can't get it under control.

8 min Ivanovic charges down a shot from Gouffran, hit from a good way out, as Newcastle try to capitalise on a spell of possession in Chelsea's half.

7 min Tiote crashes into Mata, a little high, a little late, a little violent. He gets away with it.

5 min John Terry is in a spot of bother, having picked up an early niggle or knock. Thank heavens for the advanced technology which allows BT Sport to show a little image of Terry grimacing and hobbling about in the corner of the screen without cutting from the action. That's progress.

4 min David Luiz glamorously curls a not-very-good shot high over the bar. Derisive cheers from the home fans.

3 min Hazard spins away from his marker and paces into dangerous territory on Newcastle's right for the third time. He skips infield, draws a foul, and Chelsea have a free kick to the left of the D.

2 min Ashley Cole and Mathieu Debuchy slide for a loose ball by the corner flag after some mischief from Hazard. Cole wants a corner, doesn't get it.

1 min Chelsea kick off and do some confidence-building own-half passing. Luiz receives and redistributes the ball a few times without doing anything too wacky.

12.44 The teams are out and the stadium has observed a minute's silence ahead of Remembrance Sunday. Is it callous to type during a minute's silence? Because that's what I just did. I think it's OK so long as you don't hit publish till the minute has passed.

12.40 They're pumping out some punk at St James' Park. It sounds like CBGBs in there! They're getting fired up.

Not that I've ever been to CBGB's, mind. Does it even still exist? Really I posted this song out of nostalgia: it reminds me of Tony Hawks Pro Skater. I think it was on the soundtrack to the third game in the series, but I wouldn't stake my life on it.

Quote12.33 Here's Alan Pardew. "We've got a good feeling in the dresssing room, we can give them a tough game. They've got a lot of flair on the pitch but you need a bit more than that at Newcastle. We need to make sure they can't work between the lines, that area is important, we need to keep that closed and condensed. But we've got two strikers today and hopefully we'll get some goals.

Will he climb into the crowd if Newcastle win today? "No it would just be great for Mike, for the club, because we've been getting a lot of criticism."

Quote12.31 And here's Jose. "The team is playing well. We are not having results occasionally. The team is fighting hard, every player on the pitch. We had a fantastic October, with 100% victories, but October is over and now is November. I was informed yesterday I never won here in the Premier League."

Selection dilemmas: "Every player deserves to play. Some players have been frustrated, they have to transform that frustration to motivation on the pitch and at the moment they're doing that."

On coming to St James' Park: "They ask for 20 penalties and 50 free kicks but that's the nature of their support and their emotion."

12.24 So then, this football match. Who's going to win it? It's going to be Chelsea, right? They've become alarmingly good at winning in the last few weeks. It's been surreal following their progress this season. In the foreground has been Jose and all his artful silliness: the petulance, the grandstanding, the aggro. He's so good at misdirection that his stealthy creation of a new winning machine at Stamford Bridge has seemed like an afterthought. Now we're in a situation where they haven't lost in over a month and could end the day top of the table.

Standing in their way, the 11th-placed team in the league. A team full of talented players which nevertheless manages to fall so far below the sum of its parts it's as though somebody at St James Park has invented a new way of doing of arithmetic. But perhaps Newcastle will pull themselves together today. After all, it was in this fixture last year that the unheralded Moussa Sissoko turned in a performance that made him look like one of the world's most dangerous midfielders. Perhaps he's due another game like that.

12.15 Let's get one thing clear right from the off, so there can be no confusion: if you came here expecting some kind of snarky comment on Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley and his club's decision to excommunicate the city's journalists, you're reading the wrong liveblog, my friend. Let's face it: local newspapers have grown WAY too powerful in recent years. For too long, the mighty Evening Chronicle has ridden roughshod over this country's core values – values like fairness, respect, and deference to enormous wealth. Amid such moral confusion it takes a man of courage and principle to put up his hand and say: "Enough." This week, the Colossus of Burnham has shown that he is that man.

12.10 Aside from Mata's inclusion at the expense of Andre Schurrle, no major surprises in those line-ups. Gary Cahill is disappointed again, with David Luiz given the nod.

12.04: Good to see Juan Mata back in the starting line-up. All this "dropping Juan Mata" nonsense had gone on far too long. It's like popping into a restaurant you've been to many times before and asking for "the usual", but instead of returning with your favourite paella (which is to be honest the only reason you ever come to this restaurant) the maitre d' comes back bearing a steaming pot of mystery stew.

—What's this?

—Fusion gumbo. It's a combination of German, Belgian and Brazilian cuisine with many beneficial health qualities.

—Is the paella off the menu?

—Until such time as it learns to track back, yes.

11.59: Morning all (just about). Ed here. Let's have some team news.

NEWCASTLE: Krul; Debuchy, Williamson, Yanga-Mbiwa, Santon; Sissoko, Tiote, Cabaye, Gouffran; Shola Ameobi, Remy. Subs Elliot, Tavernier, Anita, Obertan, Sammy Ameobi, Ben Arfa, Cisse

CHELSEA: Cech; Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Cole; Ramires, Lampard; Mata, Oscar, Hazard; Torres. Subs Schwarzer, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Mikel, Willian, Schurrle, Eto'o