There was no shortage of talking points at Stamford Bridge as Newcastle United got their season firmly back on track
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Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior offered an unconvincing response to his side's ridiculous huddle around referee Paul Tierney at Stamford Bridge last night - claiming his players were trying to show unity.
The Wigan referee did not make an attempt to stop Chelsea and ended up being caught in the centre of their huddle, sparking farcical scenes that were beamed out to a global audience. But that was not the end of the drama for Tierney who failed to award a penalty for Newcastle after Malick Thiaw was hauled to the ground by Reece James.
Rosenior did not mention the stonewall penalty for United but protested that his side should have been handed a spot-kick when Nick Woltemade had minimal contact on Cole Palmer in the second half. And when offering a further flabbergasting take, Rosenior claimed that Anthony Gordon's well-taken chance was the only moment of the game, despite the Scouse star testing Robert Sanchez in the second half, United having five shots on target, a Thiaw header and the penalty claim.
Rosenior said: "I think they had one moment in the game and they score from it."
When speaking about the huddle around Tierney, Rosenior said: "My players made the decision that they wanted to be around the ball, to respect the ball and show unity and leadership. That is not my decision. That was a decision between the leadership group and the team. There is nothing that they’re doing with that huddle that is disrespectful to the opposition.
‘If Paul had focused more on his job, which was to make the right decision, we have a penalty today. I don’t think anybody in this room can say that Woltemade doesn’t kick Cole Palmer down in the box.
‘So, let’s focus on the things that are important. My team showing unity is not as important as getting the decisions right on the pitch.’
“My team showing unity is not as important as getting the decisions right on the pitch.
"I’ll be speaking to PGMOL. I’ll be speaking to the refs and just trying to get an understanding of why that happened today."
Eddie Howe's brilliant man management move
It was a special day for Jacob Murphy as he captained Newcastle to their 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge.
The skipper for the day led Newcastle into battle and set standards to rattle Chelsea with some committed challenges and the guile needed to win a high-octane encounter like this one.
But during the celebrations at the end, Howe showed his class by shoving Murphy to the front of the celebrations, allowing the long-serving star to display his captain's armband and savour the moment at the Bridge. It thrilled the 3,083 fans and brings genuine confidence to the table ahead of the trip to Barcelona.
Aaron Ramsdale is a lucky charm at Chelsea
The England international kept his first Premier League clean sheet for Newcastle as his decent form continues between the posts. It comes at a good time for Ramsdale as he tries to win a permanent move to United following a loan spell from Southampton.
Ramsdale achieved a unique accolade by beating the Blues in their own backyard though. Indeed, he became the first player to taste victory against the Blues at Stamford Bridge with three different clubs after also winning with Bournemouth and Arsenal.
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