There were a few heroes for Newcastle United during their win over Chelsea on Saturday evening.
Ahead of a season-defining few days of the season, Newcastle United’s 1-0 win over Chelsea comes just at the right time.
Indeed, an Anthony Gordon goal was enough for Newcastle to beat Chelsea, raising confidence before huge games against Barcelona and Sunderland.
Who was Newcastle’s best player vs Chelsea and why?
Joe Willock playing for Newcastle United against Chelsea FC in the Premier League.
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Here, Geordie Boot Boys looks at the winners and losers.
Winners
Joe Willock
That was an impressive showing from Joe Willock.
Largely written off in the grand scheme of things, Willock played very well for Newcastle at Stamford Bridge and teed up Gordon for the goal with a clever run.
In the absence of Eddie Howe’s first choice midfield, the 26-year-old stepped up.
Joe Willock rolled back the years – but just how good was he against Chelsea? 🤔
A graphic asking Newcastle United fans to grade Joe Willock's performance against Chelsea between A* and D.
Credit: Getty Images/Andrew Kearns – CameraSport
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Willock rolled back the years somewhat, making a genuine impact on a big game – arguably for the first time since the 2022/23 season.
Anthony Gordon
What a response from Gordon, too.
Heavily criticised during the week for the illness that ruled him out from the start against Barca – the Newcastle star did his talking both on and off the pitch.
True or false – After spending £124m this summer, Anthony Gordon is actually Newcastle’s best striker…
A graphic showing a quote from a TalkingPoints subscriber on Anthony Gordon's performance vs Chelsea. It reads: "His best game yet as a centre-forward"
Credit: Getty Images/Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside
After scoring what proved to be the winner and proving to be a general nuisance for the Chelsea defence throughout the game, Gordon then slammed the “nonsense” he’d heard from pundits about his illness.
All in all, it was a very good day for him.
Lewis Hall
One is running out of superlatives to describe Lewis Hall.
His excellence is at risk of being taken for granted, such is its regularity.
Still, to watch him impress so much at the home of his former club was particularly sweet.
Newcastle’s full-backs had much the better of it throughout the contest, which must have been particularly galling for Chelsea given they are both products of their academy.
With every passing game, Chelsea’s decision to sell Hall looks worse and worse.
Anthony Gordon celebrates with Lewis Hall after scoring for Newcastle United against Chelsea.
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Losers
Yoane Wissa
Another game passes Yoane Wissa by.
During his pre-match press conference, Howe said of the striker: “No injury concerns at all. The challenge for Yoane is when introduced and on the pitch, he’s got to perform.”
Well, he didn’t even get a chance to here. Gordon played up front and even Nick Woltemade offered something in midfield, even if his performance was not entirely perfect.
Wissa remained on the bench and it’s difficult to see when he’s going to come off it, given the size of the games ahead.
Liam Delap
Liam Delap opted to sign for Chelsea instead of Newcastle last summer and that decision looks to have been the wrong one.
While Delap has been linked with a move to Newcastle at the end of the season, little about his performance off the bench would suggest he’s any better than an out of position Gordon up front.
The former Ipswich striker put himself about to little avail as his struggles since joining Chelsea continued.
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