Premier League Review: Chelsea Secure Late Newcastle Win To Go Second

Immediate past champions Chelsea are up to second on the Premier League table after the Blues secured a late 2-1 win against Newcastle United at the St. James Park on Sunday evening.

Chelsea largely dominated proceedings but struggled to find any attacking rhythm until the 76th minute when Eden Hazard scored the opening goal from the penalty spot when Spanish defender Marcos Alonso was brought down by debutant Fabian Schar in the box.

It was the Belgian forward’s 70th Premier League strike thus making him the outright third leading goalscorer in the club’s history ahead of former Dutch international striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbank.

Substitute Joselu equalised for the home side seven minutes later off an assist from American international right back De Andre Yedlin.

Yedlin was, however, unfortunate after he inadvertently diverted Marcos Alonso’s shot into his own net four minutes later to secure the victory for Chelsea.

It was their first win at Newcastle United since 2011 and it takes Chelsea above Bournemouth, Manchester City and Watford into second place after three games.

In one of the other two games on Sunday, Aleksandar Mitrovic scored twice to help Fulham to a 4-2 home win over Burnley.

Jean Michel Seri and Andre Schurrle also scored their first goals for the club, while Jeff Hendrick and James Tarkowski were on target for the visitors.

In the earlier game on Sunday, Watford defeated Crystal Palace 2-1 at home to maintain their perfect start to the new league season.