newcastle 3-0

Independent:

Sturridge power puts Chelsea back in gear

Newcastle United 0 Chelsea 3: Winger drives Blues but Newcastle are furious after David Luiz avoids red
STEVE TONGUE SPORTS DIRECT ARENA

lAt the end of a breathless game, "Chelsea are back" rang down from way up in the gods where visiting supporters are housed at what used to be called St James' Park. Not yet back to the dominant force of Jose Mourinho's day, of course, or anything like it, but his protégé Andre Villas-Boas was insistent that they are over the worst with this second successive 3-0 League victory. Back too in the Champions' League places by vaulting over Newcastle by an admittedly flattering margin and in controversial circumstances.
Villas-Boas was honest enough to admit that his erratic Brazilian defender David Luiz could easily have walked for bringing down Demba Ba as the forward chased a through ball in only the fourth minute. The referee Mike Dean apparently decided he did not have control of the ball – but the point was that he surely would have done had David Luiz not fouled him.
"I was really angry," Newcastle's manager, Alan Pardew, said. "It was the fourth minute but it doesn't matter when it arrives and I couldn't understand why he stayed on." As it was, his team hit the bar twice, lost two centre-halves to injury and will now have to make changes at last to the defence that has been unchanged all season. The captain, Fabricio Coloccini, lasted only 27 minutes, and Steven Taylor could be out for some time as he has an achilles problem. Despite showing up well against Chelsea and the two Manchester clubs, Newcastle have emerged with only one point, gained in last weekend's defiant performance at Old Trafford when Taylor and Tim Krul in goal were the heroes. Yesterday Krul was outstanding again, and as Pardew said, it must have been "really galling" for him to have been beaten three times.
The young Dutchman was let down, however, by some of the defending in front of him. In a game that was open from start to finish the most wide open spaces of all were down Newcastle's left flank, where Ryan Taylor gave Daniel Sturridge all the room he wanted. That resulted in countless chances, including a penalty in the 13th minute that led to Krul pushing Frank Lampard's kick on to a post for the first of several outstanding saves.
Repeatedly Sturridge bore down on him, cutting in from the right on his favoured left foot, and mostly leaving his manager furious at his profligacy. Only right at the end did Sturridge at last locate the net, as Chelsea ran in two goals in the final few minutes to distort the scoreline.
Overall they had the better of the chances, mainly on the counter-attack, but there was injustice in the air from the moment that David Luiz was shown only a yellow card as Ba went down while chasing a pass by Peter Lovenkrands. The penalty to Chelsea was a correct decision after Yohan Cabaye's unwise tackle on Sturridge but Krul's save from it did not dismay the visitors, Sturridge soon hitting a post and the side-net as well as forcing Krul to thwart him, all in the space of seven minutes.
Not that the home side were overwhelmed. After heading Chelsea into the lead from a cross by the excellent Juan Mata, Didier Drogba, defending a corner, headed just as firmly against his own bar. A different sort of Ba – Demba – hit a post before half-time and after Pardew threw on the Ameobi brothers, Shola struck the bar and Sammy hit a shot with power that would not be expected from those spindly legs, forcing John Terry to clear from right on the goalline.
Their team continued to look highly vulnerable to almost every Chelsea counter-attack, however. Krul kept foiling Sturridge, but in the last few minutes even he could not prevent two further goals set up by the fresh legs of substitutes. Fernando Torres, on for the exhausted Drogba, could have scored one of them himself but delayed his shot and was fortunate that the ball ran for him to set up Salomon Kalou's deflected drive. It was cruel that Kalou should then make a third for Sturridge, if only right that the winger should score at last.
His recent performances have been the principal reason why Chelsea can dispense with Nicolas Anelka, who along with the defender Alex has had a transfer request accepted and been left to train on his own after what Villas-Boas, in his always interesting use of English, called "a frontal conversation".

Newcastle (4-4-2): Krul; Simpson, S Taylor, Coloccini (Perch, 27), R Taylor; Obertan, Cabaye, Guthrie, Lovenkrands (Sammy Ameobi, 71); Ben Arfa (Shola Ameobi, h-t), Ba.

Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole; Ramires, Romeu, Lampard (Meireles, 60); Sturridge, Drogba (Torres, 79), Mata (Kalou, 74).

Referee Mike Dean.
Man of the match Mata (Chelsea).
Match rating 8/10.


==========================

Observer:

Daniel Sturridge goal seals controversial Chelsea win at Newcastle
Paul Wilson at St James' Park

Beating Newcastle is no mean feat these days and Chelsea returned to something like their fluent best in becoming the first visiting team to win on Tyneside this season. Their defence stood solid against some enterprising home attacks, with Oriol Romeu looking assured in front of the back four and Daniel Sturridge, Juan Mata and Ramires all showing speed of thought as well as movement. Newcastle were unhappy with a couple of refereeing decisions, and had every right to be, though there was no denying that, with slightly calmer finishing, Chelsea could have scored a hatful of goals.
"You could say 3-0 was excessive, but it was the fairest of results because of the number of times we were one on one with the goalkeeper," André Villas-Boas said. Alan Pardew agreed with that. "Tim Krul was outstanding," he said. "His penalty save alone was fantastic and he didn't deserve to be beaten three times." The Newcastle manager did not agree with Villas-Boas's assertion that it was about time a refereeing decision went in Chelsea's favour, however. Pardew felt David Luiz should have been dismissed right at the start. "I can't understand why the referee didn't send him off," he said. "It could have been a very different afternoon."
The controversy arrived in the fifth minute, when Peter Lovenkrands split the Chelsea defence with an alert through-ball and Demba Ba stole a march on David Luiz, obliging the Brazilian defender to haul him down on the edge of the area. It could only be regarded as a professional foul: Willie Young himself could hardly have acted more cynically. David Luiz was the last defender and as Ba was about to stride into an empty penalty area it was clearly a goalscoring opportunity – yet, to the disgust of the home crowd, Mike Dean produced only a yellow. What going down to 10 men so early would have done for Chelsea's confidence can only be guessed at, but the referee spared them that. Dean was not spared from Pardew making his feelings known at the earliest opportunity.
So the Newcastle fans were not best pleased when Jones awarded Chelsea a penalty a mere seven minutes later, though there could be little argument that Yohan Cabaye had fouled Sturridge after the forward had sprinted easily past Ryan Taylor and into the area. Krul dived to his left to make a fine stop from Frank Lampard's effort from the spot. But when the goalkeeper was called upon again, to tip a Sturridge shot onto his post from Chelsea's next attack, it was clear that the visitors had the pace to cause Newcastle problems and Ryan Taylor, in particular, was in for a busy day.
Sturridge was breaking clear almost at will by the mid-point of the first half, and should have put his side ahead from a couple of decent shooting opportunities instead of finding Krul's arms and then the side-netting. It was not quite all Chelsea, though. Petr Cech had to make a sharp save to deny Ba when Lovenkrands crossed from the left. Then, after Mata had bamboozled Danny Simpson with the deftest of flicks to set up a chance for Didier Drogba, it was Newcastle's turn to hit the woodwork after a patient buildup, Ba heading Danny Guthrie's cross against a post.
All a lively game needed was a goal and it arrived seven minutes before the interval in a slightly contentious manner. The referee awarded Chelsea a throw-in near the corner flag after Branislav Ivanovic's cross seemed to have flown straight into touch: Dean indicated to puzzled Newcastle players that the ball had come off Ryan Taylor's forehead. Evidently too aggrieved to take up their defensive positions properly, Newcastle's markers simply watched as Mata collected Ashley Cole's throw and crossed for Drogba to beat Krul with a free header.
Newcastle's hopes of getting back into the game seemed to recede when Fabricio Coloccini withdrew before the interval and Hatem Ben Arfa failed to appear for the second half, though both sides came close to scoring in the 55th minute. First Drogba crashed a header against his own crossbar while trying to prevent Ba from reaching a Cabaye corner, then, straight from the rebound, Mata sent Sturridge racing clear to put Ramires one on one with Krul, only for the keeper to collect a hesitant finish.
The nearest thing to an equaliser came when Sammy Ameobi beat Cech, but found John Terry standing on the line, and the moment most deserving of one arrived 10 minutes from time, when Shola Ameobi took Simpson's pass and hit a terrific shot against the bar from the edge of the area. If Newcastle were unlucky, Sturridge should have killed the contest six minutes from the end, when Raul Meireles and Salomon Kalou left him with only Krul to beat. Again, the goalkeeper stood up to him. Krul must have been feeling invincible at close range by the end.
In the 89th minute, however, Kalou finally scored the second. Sturridge's stoppage-time third was just cruel, making it appear that Newcastle had been trounced. That was far from the case, though Chelsea had missed an awful lot of chances. "It was a very difficult game," Drogba confirmed. "We have not been in our best moment recently and we were glad to get the three points."

============================================

Telegraph:

Newcastle United 0 Chelsea 3
By Luke Edwards

A Didier Drogba header and two late strikes from Soloman Kalou and Daniel Sturridge gave Chelsea a much-needed win at Newcastle United who hit the woodwork three times while trailing by just one goal.
Chelsea also hit the post twice in the first half in a thoroughly entertaining game both sides should have scored more in.
Newcastle had been asked to put Chelsea on the back foot as soon as the game started and they rose to that challenge from manager Alan Pardew in a frantic opening few minutes.
Indeed, had referee Mike Dean not taken such a lenient view of the last defender rule, David Luiz would have been sent off after just four minutes.
With Demba Ba lurking behind him, Peter Lovenkrands played the ball through for the Senegal international to run on to. Luiz realised he was in trouble, stuck an arm out to block his run and sent the striker tumbling to the floor.
He was punished with a yellow card as St James’ Park screamed for a red, but Chelsea took little notice.
Playing with speed and precision on the break, the visitors should have been in front in the 13th minute when Daniel Sturridge was brought down in the area by Yohan Cabaye, but Frank Lampard’s penalty was turned on to the post by Tim Krul.
Sturridge rattled the same part of the goal frame moments later and was also denied by another good save from Krul as Chelsea exposed Ryan Taylor’s limitations at left-back.
Not that it was all Chelsea. Demba Ba hit the post with a header from Danny Guthrie’s clever cross and Petr Cech made a smart reaction save to keep out a flick from the same player before half-time.
Chelsea, though, took the lead with seven minutes remaining in the half when Drogba got in front of James Perch – on for the injured Fabricio Coloccini – to head in Juan Mata's cross.
The loss of the Newcastle captain further weakened a defence in constant trouble from Chelsea’s rapid counter-attacks and when Drogba, under pressure from Ba, headed against his own crossbar, Krul needed to make another impressive block to keep out Ramires as Villas-Boas’ side broke again.
Still Newcastle searched for an equaliser, substitute Sammy Ameobi’s volley cleared off the line by John Terry before his older brother Shola rattled the crossbar with a ferocious effort from the edge of the area.
More good goalkeeping from Krul kept out Sturridge as Newcastle left gaps at the back, but Chelsea deserved the win that eases the pressure on Villas-Boas ahead of the crucial Champions League meeting with Valencia.
Kalou and Sturridge made the game safe in the closing stages as Newcastle finished the game with ten men following an injury to their other first-choice centre-back Steven Taylor.

=================================

Mail:

Newcastle 0 Chelsea 3: Drogba, Kalou and Sturridge on target but Toon fume at ref Dean
By BOB CASS

Chelsea got their domestic season back on track with a much-needed victory - aided by a healthy slice of good fortune - as Andre Villas-Boas's men leapfrogged Newcastle into the Premier League's top four.
Yet it all could have been so much different if referee Mike Dean had been stricter with his interpretation of the 'last man' rule.
There were barely four minutes on the clock when Demba Ba broke clear through the heart of the Chelsea defence, with Brazilian centre-back David Luiz trailing.
Just as the sprinting Newcastle hit-man was about to enter the penalty area he was sent tumbling but, to home disbelief - and Chelsea's great relief - Dean decided Luiz was not denying the raider a goalscoring opportunity, so the card produced was just yellow and not the expected red.
Afterwards, an angry Alan Pardew slammed Dean for not sending off the defender, claiming the Wirral official's decision was a major factor in a result that was nowhere near as comfortable as the scoreline suggests.
Pardew said: 'I thought he was going to get sent off. Luiz was the last man and Demba was in behind him. The keeper wasn't going to get to the ball so it was a goalscoring opportunity.
'I was really angry about it. If that had happened at, say, Old Trafford, I think one of my players would have walked.
'I went in to see the referee at halftime and he said Ba didn't have control of the ball. I need to get the rulebook out and have a look at it.
'With the atmosphere and the crowd here, Chelsea would have struggled if Luiz had gone off.'
Chelsea certainly made the most of their reprieve, even shrugging off Tim Krul's brilliant save of a Frank Lampard penalty, awarded when Dean reckoned Yohan Cabaye's foul on Daniel Sturridge was illegal.
The Stamford Bridge side, with five defeats in their previous nine games and needing a boost ahead of their crucial Champions League clash with Valencia on Tuesday, went on to dominate the rest of the first half, with Juan Mata particularly prominent.
And it was Mata who set up Chelsea's deserved opener, crossing from the left for Didier Drogba to take advantage of Fabricio Coloccini's injury-enforced absence and head powerfully past Krul. Following on from the Holland goalkeeper's impressive showing at Old Trafford seven days earlier, it seemed the only way he was going to be beaten.
It had been an entertaining first half, with both sides rattling the woodwork, and the game resumed in equally lively fashion, with Drogba shooting wide from close range and Sturridge again frustrated by Krul's brilliance within 10 minutes of the restart.
Newcastle had their moments, too, particularly when Drogba headed against his own bar and Shola Ameobi, a half-time replacement for Hatem Ben Arfa, cracked a right-footer against the bar 10 minutes from the end. But, having used all three substitutes, they were reduced to 10 men when Steven Taylor was forced off with an Achilles tendon problem near the end, leaving Krul exposed.
Fernando Torres emerged from substitute-bench anonymity to involve himself in the move which ended with Salomon Kalou doubling Chelsea's advantage in the 89th minute and Sturridge, belatedly, found a way past Krul with a wellplaced left-foot shot in the second minute of added time.
Andre Villas-Boas, for once, welcomed the opportunity to praise his team's efforts. 'This was a solid performance,' he said. 'The players were able to find a lot of belief, especially after results haven't gone our way recently.
'Coming to one of the best stadiums in the Premier League against one of the best defences was a difficult challenge but the players deserve some applause for what they have achieved.
'We scored two goals late on but could have had a few more when you consider the number of times we were one on one with their keeper.' And, referring to the Luiz escape, he added: 'It was a major incident early on. Maybe the decision went our way. But we have had a tremendous number of decisions against us this season.'
After their quickfire test against last season's top three - Manchester United, City and Chelsea - which yielded just one point after their impressive start to the season, they will find themselves facing lesser mortals like Norwich City at Carrow Road next weekend without the recognised central defensive pair of Coloccini and Steven Taylor.
But Pardew is relishing the challenge. He added: 'The players have shown great character against the top sides in the Premier League. Now we must show the same kind of attitude in the week ahead.'


=========================

Mirror:

Newcastle 0-3 Chelsea
By Brian McNally

Andre Villas-Boas, supposedly under intense pressure, kept his emotions in check at a passionate St James’ Park as Chelsea eventually ground out a comfortable and crucial victory.
A first-half headed effort from Didier Drogba and late strikes from Saloman Kalou and Daniel Sturridge appear to indicate a stroll in the park for the visitors.
But the Geordies in the 52,305 sell-out crowd were left seething over referee Mike Dean’s failure to ­reduce the Londoners to ten men when David Luiz hauled down Demba Ba on the edge of the box with only four minutes on the clock.
Luiz looked to have denied Ba a clear scoring chance but referee Dean thought otherwise and only cautioned the Brazilian centre-back.
It was perhaps the pivotal moment in a thrilling contest because with the Toon Army fired up by a memorable pre-match salute to Gary Speed, Chelsea would have found it difficult to have played for 86 minutes with ten men.
Toon boss Alan Pardew went to Dean’s dressing room at half-time for an explanation, but was left perplexed by the answer.
He said: “I thought Luiz was going to be sent off. Demba Ba was in on goal and there was no cover. I was really angry about it.
“The referee said at half-time that Ba didn’t have ­control of the ball. But I don’t understand that – he was in on goal and bundled over.”
Villas-Boas said: “It was a major incident. Maybe Mike Dean’s decision went for us and Alan Pardew and his players weren’t happy.
“But we have had a lot of decisions go against Chelsea this season and no one has made a fuss.
“My players showed fantastic team spirit. We took a long time to get the second goal but a lot of that was down to Newcastle keeper Tim Krul, who had a fantastic game.”
Chelsea had gone into the game on a poor run of form but despite scorning several good first-half chances always looked the slicker side.
Frank Lampard missed the chance to give them the lead from the spot on 14 minutes after Yohan Cabaye brought down Sturridge in the box.
The England midfielder’s shot was weak and allowed Krul to get down smartly to his left to keep the ball out.
The home side went close when Ba hit the woodwork on 34 minutes after being supplied by Danny Guthrie.
But United switched off at an Ashley Cole throw-in on 38 minutes to allow Juan Mata to provide a pinpoint cross for Drogba to head home.
Sturridge, who also struck the post, had a stack of chances and was denied several times by the brilliance of Krul.
But Newcastle had plenty of opportunities of their own and Drogba even managed to head against his own bar in a frenetic spell of home pressure.
Substitute Shola Ameobi smashed one drive against the woodwork and his brother Sammy was denied by a John Terry goal-line clearance.
Kalou was set up by substitute Fernando Torres after a quick break for a routine finish on 89 minutes before Sturridge finally got the goal he deserved in injury time.
Sturridge danced around a Sammy Ameobi challenge in the box before smashing in a shot that was diverted into the net by the outstretched hand of the gallant Krul.
Newcastle, who lost Fabricio Coloccini to injury in the first half, had finally folded when their other centre-back Steven Taylor was taken off with a suspected Achilles injury.
AVB admitted that it will give his side a massive
boost before the do-or-die Champions League clash with Valencia on Tuesday.
But Newcastle were left agonising over Dean’s decision not to send off Luiz on a day when they finally surrendered their proud unbeaten home record.

======================

People:

Newcastle 0-3 Chelsea: AVB sings sweet Toon as Blues seal win

by Dave Kidd, The People

WHEN Andre Villas-Boas was appointed Chelsea manager in the summer, one of his old scouting reports for Jose Mourinho found its way into the Press.
The words were a devastating trashing job on the Newcastle team of Graeme Souness – with Jean-Alain Boumsong singled out for particularly scathing criticism.
This current Newcastle side are not so easy to pull apart, either in a dossier or out on the pitch at the stadium which Cockneys refer to as the Sports Direct Arena.
But when Villas-Boas needed it most, Chelsea proved their manager still has an eye for a Geordie flaw as they recorded what was, undoubtedly, the best result of his brief reign.
Sure, two late goals made the result flattering. And certainly, referee Mike Dean should have sent off David Luiz for a clear red-card offence in the fourth minute – a decision which would have made this a very different match.
Class
We can only assume that Dean considered Luiz such a liability that he felt Newcastle would be better off with the Brazilian on the pitch.
The visitors played with class and composure, belying the pressure that had been heaped on their shoulders by recent defeats.
Goals from Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou and the vibrant young England star Daniel Sturridge ended Newcastle’s unbeaten home record and meant that Chelsea leapfrog them back into the Champions League places.
Chelsea hit the woodwork twice, Newcastle three times, in a match which crackled and fizzed with attacking intent.
At times it developed into a personal duel ­between Newcastle’s magnificent keeper Tim Krul and Sturridge, who forced seven saves from the Dutchman before finally beating him in injury-time.
The Blues still need a victory or score-draw against Valencia on Tuesday to secure ­qualification for the Champions League knock-out stages and put AVB’s crisis behind him. Alan Pardew’s shock troops, the surprise packets of the Premier League season, have performed creditably in three successive games against top-four clubs – yet they have taken just a single point and their squad is looking worryingly thin.
Injuries to centre-backs Fabrizio Coloccini and Steven Taylor will stretch Pardew’s men to the limits in the coming weeks but they do, at least, have a substantial cushion to fall back upon thanks to their early-season heroics.
The very idea that the Magpies should have gone into this match above Chelsea in the table, a third of the way through the season, was a stunning achievement in itself. But the heartfelt pre-match tributes to Gary Speed had barely subsided when ref Dean bottled the biggest decision of the day.
Luiz lost a challenge with Demba Ba, then hauled down the striker when he was ­undoubtedly the last defender.
It was difficult to argue with Pardew’s claim that, had one of his players committed the same offence at Old Trafford, he would have walked.
Chelsea took full advantage of their reprieve, though, with Sturridge turning in a high-voltage attacking display.The England man teased Yohan Cabaye into a trip which earned Chelsea a 14th-minute penalty – but Krul dived full-stretch to save Frank Lampard’s spot-kick.
Sturridge skinned Coloccini to rattle the post soon after and was thwarted twice by Krul before Petr Cech made an athletic save of his own to deny Ba.
Ba then headed against the inside of a post, Luiz almost scoring an own goal from the rebound.
Coloccini limped off with a thigh injury and Newcastle soon paid the price when Drogba leapt to head home Juan Mata’s centre, beating the ineffective sub James Perch, six minutes before the break.
Sturridge forced another wonderful stop from Krul and, early in the second period, Drogba headed against his own bar under pressure from Ba.
Pardew sent on both Ameobis – and when Cech dropped a Simpson cross, the outstanding John Terry cleared off the line from younger brother Sammy. Shola then crashed a shot against the bar, with Sammy’s shot saved from the rebound.
Rebukes
But Sturridge squandered two more chances before Chelsea wrapped up the points a minute from time.
Fernando Torres cut back for fellow sub Kalou to drill home, this time Krul only helping it into the net.
Chelsea’s volatile fitness coach Jose Mario Rocha wound up the home bench with some over-zealous celebrations - earning him rebukes from both managers.
But his excitement was justified. This was a big moment in a crucial victory after a thorough test from Newcastle.
Sturridge finally thumped home the goal he richly deserved, deep into stoppage time.
“Chelsea are back,” sang the travelling supporters, “Chelsea are back.”

====================================

Sun:

Drog on The Tyne

DIDIER DROGBA and Co eased the pressure on Andre Villas-Boas as Chelsea beat an emotionally-charged Newcastle.
The Toon faithful were mourning the passing of Gary Speed but were up in arms after four minutes when last-man David Luiz upended Demba Ba — only to be shown a yellow card.
The Blues made the most of their good fortune and dominated large parts of the game with Drogba heading home a pinpoint cross from the excellent Juan Mata.
The Ivory Coast hitman's effort came after Tim Krul had saved Frank Lampard's penalty and Chelsea had missed a hatful of chances.
Newcastle, playing their first game at the newly-named Sports Direct Arena, pressed for an equaliser and hit the woodwork on three separate occasions.
But Chelsea held on and ensured the points when Salomon Kalou and Daniel Sturridge fired in late on to the AVB's relief.
The game was played at an electric pace from the outset and the volume was turned right up when Luiz was caught out by a through ball from Yohan Cabaye.
Ba ran past the Brazilian and was through on goal. So when Luiz brought him down, the whole ground expected red card to be shown.
But bizarrely referee Mike Dean only booked the young centre-back, enraging Pardew and his players.
The Toon boss blasted: ""I am going to have to look at the rule book. It's a sending-off, it's as simple as that. It changed the game.
"He's in on goal and he brings him down. I do not understand the logic of referees when that happens. I genuinely believe that the referee got that wrong."
AVB agreed his side had been fortunate.
The Portuguese said: "We have been treated unfairly for quite some time as well and maybe today the decision fell our way.
"I'm sure Alan will not be happy."
To make matters worse, Cabaye conceded a penalty when he brought down Sturridge on 13 minutes.
Up stepped Lampard but the Chelsea midfielder couldn't find a way past Krul who tipped the ball around the post in spectacular style.
But it only delayed the inevitable as Mata and Sturridge ran rings around Newcastle's back four.
England Under-21 striker Sturridge rattled the post and threatened from distance as the Toon's problems got worse with talisman Fabricio Coloccini coming off injured.
Chelsea finally made the breakthrough on 38 minutes as Mata left Cabaye in his wake and crossed the ball in for Drogba to power in from six yards out.
Ba then hit the post from Guthrie's superb centre, giving Pardew's men optimism going into half-time.
The Toon came out and upped the tempo and crashed the bar through Drogba's inadvertent flick and substitute Shola Ameobi's thunderous effort.
But Chelsea continued to look like getting a second and with two minutes to go they had it as substitute Salomon Kalou tapped home Fernando Torres's pass.
Sturridge finally had his name on the scoresheet in stoppage time as he curled past Krul to add some gloss to the scoreline.
The win sets Villas-Boas's men up perfectly for their crunch Champions League match with Valencia in midweek.
AVB said: "Even if we had a bad result we still have to win the game in the Champions League.
"It's good to approach the game with three points."

Newcastle (0) 0 Chelsea (1) 3
Newcastle: Krul,Simpson,Steven Taylor,Coloccini (Perch 27), Ryan Taylor,Lovenkrands (Sammy Ameobi 71),Guthrie,Cabaye, Obertan,Ben Arfa (Shola Ameobi 46),Ba.Subs Not Used: Harper,Santon,Gosling,Best.
Booked: Simpson,Ryan Taylor.

Chelsea: Cech,Ivanovic,Luiz,Terry,Cole,Ramires,Romeu, Lampard (Meireles 60),Sturridge,Drogba (Torres 79), Mata (Kalou 74). Subs Not Used:Turnbull,Malouda,Bosingwa,Bertrand.
Booked: Luiz,Sturridge,Terry.
Goals: Drogba 38,Kalou 89,Sturridge 90.

Att: 52,305
Ref: Mike Dean (Wirral).


=========================

Star:

NEWCASTLE 0 - CHELSEA 3: DIDIER DROGBA ON THE TYNE
By Clive Hetherington

IT was Newcastle legend Sir Bobby Robson who helped Andre Villas-Boas take his baby steps in football when he gave him a scouting job at Porto.
The Chelsea boss is a big boy now, and needs to be, with his future already the subject of intense debate short of six months into his reign.
This win, though, after his side had lost five of their previous nine League and Cup games, eased the pressure on the Portuguese boss.
Luck was on the side of the visitors.
In only the fourth minute, David Luiz, the Blues’ last defender, should have been sent off by referee Mike Dean for a foul on Demba Ba.
Newcastle also saw the woodwork deny them three times.
But Chelsea twice suffered similar frustration – the first occasion being when keeper Tim Krul saved Frank Lampard’s poor 14th-minute penalty.
Didier Drogba headed Chelsea into a 38th-minute lead with only his third goal this season, but almost brought the Geordies level when he nodded against his own bar early in the second half. It was substitute Salomon Kalou and the outstanding Daniel Sturridge who put the game beyond Newcastle in the closing minutes.
This was the first match here since Toon owner Mike Ashley’s hugely-controversial decision to rename the ground the Sports Direct Arena, after his sportswear empire.
But it will always be St James’ Park to the fans, who were soon booing referee Dean for showing astonishing leniency towards Luiz.
The Brazilian was clearly the last man when he brought down Ba as the Toon striker tried to latch on to Peter Lovenkrands’ ball.
But to Newcastle’s fury and disbelief, Dean only raised a yellow card. They couldn’t complain in the 13th minute, however, when Yohan Cabaye tripped Sturridge in the box.
But Krul – understood to be a Tottenham target – turned Lampard’s spot-kick on to his left-hand post.
Dutchman Krul then faced a one-man onslaught from Sturridge. The England new boy smacked a shot against the near post, pulled one wide, fired straight at Krul – and then drove into the side-netting.
Chelsea keeper Petr Cech executed a save of breathtaking brilliance on 24 minutes to foil Ba, tipping over with razor-sharp reactions.
Ba was out of luck again tenminutes later when his header hit a post. But the Blues finally struck, though not without some controversy.
The home fans weren’t happy but Branislav Ivanovic’s cross clipped Ryan Taylor’s head to go for a throw on the left.
Ashley Cole took it and Juan Mata lifted the ball in for Drogba to strike.
Sturridge threatened a second five minutes before half-time but Krul was equal to him again.
Fortune favoured Drogba when he challenged Ba for Cabaye’s corner – and headed against his own bar.
The visitors broke straight away, Sturridge setting up Ramires who was superbly denied by Krul.
Sammy Ameobi nearly equalised only three minutes after coming on when Terry cleared his shot off the line.
Brother and fellow sub Shola then shook the bar with a thundering effort. But on 89 minutes, Fernando Torres set up Kalou, whose shot was helped in by Krul. And Sturridge finally beat Krul with an angled effort in stoppage time.
After the game Newcastle boss Alan Pardew was still furious at the decision not to send off David Luiz for his fourth-minute foul.
Pardew, whose side lost their unbeaten home record for the season, said: “I thought he was going to get sent off.
“He was the last man and Demba was in behind him.
“The keeper wasn’t going to get to the ball so it was a goalscoring opportunity.
“I was really angry about it. If that had happened at Old Trafford, I think one of my players would have walked.”
There had been applause at the beginning of the day when fans remembered Gary Speed.
A planned official tribute to the Wales manager was postponed by Newcastle at the request of his widow, Louise.
She wanted to attend but was yesterday at Leeds, Speed’s first club, for a similar memorial.
Newcastle will now stage their tribute in her presence when Swansea visit on December 17.