Chelsea won narrowly thanks to an own goal from their opponents.

Goal:Joselu 83'ButHazard (penalty) 76', Yedlin (own goal) 87'

The clash between Newcastle and Chelsea only truly became exciting in the final 15 minutes, when both teams exchanged goals. The London team demonstrated the mettle of a title contender by knowing how to punish their opponents' mistakes and ultimately secure the victory.

With nine points from three matches, Chelsea are second, behind Liverpool due to an inferior goal difference. Maurizio Sarri's team is also putting significant pressure on both Man Utd and Tottenham, who will face each other in the late match of the third round, taking place tomorrow evening, August 27th.

After keeping the same lineup and securing six points in the first two rounds, Maurizio Sarri decided to experiment when visiting Newcastle. Aside from the return of star player Eden Hazard on the left flank replacing Willian, Mateo Kovacic started for the first time, alongside N'Golo Kante and Jorginho. The Croatian midfielder was expected to complete Chelsea's midfield trio, helping Jorginho distribute the ball more effectively, and forming a dangerous attacking force with Hazard on the left wing.

But Newcastle are no easy opponents. In their last five Premier League meetings at St James' Park, Newcastle have won four, and pragmatic manager Rafael Benitez knows how to make things difficult for his opponents. Using a 5-4-1 formation, with nine players constantly positioned in the attacking third towards their own goal, the North East side effectively shut down all access to the penalty area.

Chelsea's dangerous situations all stemmed from individual efforts, with Hazard being the standout performer. Although the match against Newcastle was his first start of the season, the Belgian captain still showed finesse in every touch of the ball.

In the 25th minute, the former Lille player penetrated the penalty area and unleashed a lightning-fast shot, leaving the Newcastle goalkeeper rooted to the spot. About 10 minutes later, the 27-year-old star weaved his way through a swarm of black and white striped shirts before releasing the ball to Pedro, who curled a powerful shot into the far corner, forcing a goal.Dubravka struggled to make the save.

Hazard was excellent but it wasn't enough for Chelsea to break through Newcastle's defense for an hour, even though the 2014-2015 Premier League Player of the Year tried to move around a lot.

Another highly anticipated Chelsea player, Jorginho, had virtually no impact on the evening of August 26th due to the opposing defense dropping too deep. The Italian midfielder's strengths, such as his ability to escape pressing, make long passes, and initiate attacks, were not showcased at all.

Newcastle are more disciplined than Huddersfield and certainly more solid than Arsenal, teams that Chelsea have previously defeated. They even made the former Premier League champions sweat a couple of times with their high crosses or corner kicks.

Sarri reverted to the weapon that had defeated Arsenal, attacking down the flanks, by bringing on Oliver Giroud and Willian. However, the player who made the difference was a defender. In the 76th minute, Marcos Alonso penetrated the penalty area, leaving the opponent vulnerable.Fabian Schar made a clumsy foul. The referee pointed to the penalty spot, and Hazard made no mistake with a decisive shot into the top corner.

On the sidelines, Benitez shook his head in frustration, but on the pitch, the Spanish coach's players were still full of fighting spirit and scored an equalizer just seven minutes later. It stemmed from a long ball from the goalkeeper.DeAndre Yedlin's collision caused Giroud to fall, but the referee did not blow the whistle. The American's cross from the right wing then put substitute Joselu in an easy position to head the ball into the net from close range.

It seemed Yedlin and Newcastle would have a happy ending on the evening of August 26th, but everything changed quickly after just four minutes. The former Tottenham player, in an attempt to block Marcos Alonso's shot, inadvertently put the ball into his own net. He clutched his head and collapsed to the ground, just like how his Newcastle team was languishing at the bottom of the table after their defeat to Chelsea.

Starting lineup

Newcastle: Dubravka, Fernandez, Clark, Schar (Muto 79'), Dummett, Yedlin, Sung-Yeung, Diame, Ritchie, Murphy (Perez 73'), Rondon (Joselu 62').

Chelsea: Kepa, Luiz, Azpilicueta, Alonso, Rudiger, Kovacic (Barkley 79'), Jorginho, Kante, Hazard, Pedro (Willian 69'), Morata (Giroud 65').

Thang Nguyen