After a string of positive results before the international break, Chelsea came crashing down to earth with an embarrassing 4-1 mauling at the hands of Newcastle United on Saturday.
Alexander Isak's early strike was cancelled out by a glorious free-kick from Raheem Sterling midway through an entertaining first half, and it seemed tough to predict which way this game would go at the interval.
Two minutes of madness on the hour mark, however, handed the contest to Newcastle. Jamaal Lascelles headed the Magpies back ahead before an enormous error from Thiago Silva gifted a goal to Joelinton immediately after.
Reece James' red card made life even harder for Chelsea, who still had time to concede a fourth as Anthony Gordon's low drive capped off a dominant victory for Newcastle.
How the game unfolded
Some smart play from Newcastle led to the opening goal 13 minutes in. Isak was alone in the box and perfectly found by young Lewis Miley, and the Swede made no mistake from ten yards.
It was a deserved lead for Newcastle, who looked stronger at both ends of the field, but Chelsea dragged themselves level through Sterling's sumptuous free-kick 23 minutes in.
Joelinton missed a glorious chance to restore Newcastle's advantage soon after. The Brazilian escaped Conor Gallagher from a corner but somehow steered a header wide when it appeared easier to score.
Next to threaten was Enzo Fernandez, whose fizzing drive needed a strong hand from Nick Pope, and the Newcastle stopper survived a massive scare as his poor clearance perhaps should have been punished by Gallagher.
As the first half came to a close, Kieran Trippier's free-kick thumped the bar and fizzed over Robert Sanchez's goal, bringing an entertaining, even half of football to an end.
The start of the second half wasn't as electric but St James' Park erupted on the hour mark when Lascelles rose highest to thump home Gordon's cross.
Just seconds later and it was 3-1. Thiago Silva fluffed an attempted back-pass and sent Joelinton one-on-one with Sanchez, and the Brazilian crashed into the bottom corner to double Newcastle's advantage.
To make matters worse for Chelsea, captain James was shown a second yellow card with 20 minutes to go, effectively ruling out any chances of a dramatic comeback.
Former Blues target Gordon rubbed salt in the wounds with a late strike which by no means flattered Newcastle, who dominated the second half and watched Chelsea implode.
Newcastle player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Nick Pope - 5/10 - Looked very nervous with the ball at his feet. Could have easily handed Gallagher an unnecessary goal.
RB: Kieran Trippier - 7/10 - Some really impressive defending against Sterling and a fierce free-kick which struck the bar. Not always on target with his crossing but still an overall positive impact.
CB: Jamaal Lascelles - 6/10 - Had a really sloppy first half but ended things on a high note with a thumping header.
CB: Fabian Schar - 6/10 - Played some nice passes from the back to try and keep things ticking. Even sent a thunderbolt towards Sanchez from range. Hardly tested in defence.
LB: Tino Livramento - 7/10 - A natural right-sider, Livramento played in an inverted role which helped Newcastle in the midfield battle. A nice showing against his boyhood side.
DM: Bruno Guimaraes - 8/10 - Some really nice moments and truly came into his element when Newcastle gained the momentum. A major force in the second half.
CM: Lewis Miley - 7/10 - A delightful performance from the youngster. Earned a smart assist for Isak and played a number of impressive passes.
CM: Joelinton - 7/10 - A weak link in the first half but his typical pressing forced Silva into an enormous error for Newcastle's third goal. Bullied Chelsea into submission after the break.
RW: Miguel Almiron - 7/10 - Enjoyed plenty of space down the right and grew into the game as Newcastle took control.
ST: Alexander Isak - 7/10 - A composed finish from the towering Swede, who put himself about to keep the pressure up on Silva and Badiashile.
LW: Anthony Gordon - 8/10 - Suffered an injury scare early on but shook it off to deliver an excellent assist and a smart goal.
Substitutes
SUB: Matt Richie (81' for Isak) - N/A
SUB: Paul Dummett (87' for Lascelles) - N/A
SUB: Alex Murphy (87' for Almiron) - N/A
SUB: Amadou Diallo (90' for Miley) - N/A
SUB: Michael Ndiweni (90' for Gordon) - N/A
Subs not used: Martin Dubravka (GK), Mark Gillespie (GK), Loris Karius (GK), Ben Parkinson
Manager
Eddie Howe - 7/10 - Set his side up to rock Chelsea and they did exactly that, and even had the chance to hand out some debuts late on.
Chelsea player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Robert Sanchez - 5/10 - Couldn't really do a whole lot about the goals. Looked a little shaky when coming for crosses.
RB: Reece James - 2/10 - Generally impressive when involved but showed no composure or leadership as he picked up two needless yellow cards which left his team short when they needed him most. Not good enough from the captain.
CB: Thiago Silva - 2/10 - Got away with one comedic blunder in the first half but Chelsea fans weren't laughing on the hour mark as he passed the ball directly to Joelinton for the third. Shambolic and symptomatic of his evident decline.
CB: Benoit Badiashile - 5/10 - Flashed a few signs of rust on his first start of the season but was largely solid before the late collapse.
LB: Marc Cucurella - 4/10 - Busy defensively but came undone as his poor awareness played Isak onside for the opener. Needs to do better with moments like that.
DM: Enzo Fernandez - 4/10 - Active in the first half but lost all influence after the break.
DM: Lesley Ugochukwu - 5/10 - Pretty solid aside from a lapse in concentration which ultimately led to Newcastle's opener.
RM: Cole Palmer - 4/10 - Didn't get into the game as much as he has done recently and was hooked as Chelsea tried to find a response.
AM: Conor Gallagher - 3/10 - A rare off day for Gallagher, whose tame finishing and limited creativity proved problematic for Chelsea.
LM: Raheem Sterling - 6/10 - Had a really tricky battle up against Trippier in the first half and sunk an excellent free-kick, but his influence faded as Chelsea's hold on proceedings disappeared.
ST: Nicolas Jackson - 5/10 - Put himself about with his typical energy but was far too isolated.
Substitutes
SUB: Mykhailo Mudryk (68' for Gallagher) - 5/10
SUB: Moises Caicedo (68' for Ugochukwu) - 5/10
SUB: Armando Broja (68' for Jackson) - 5/10
SUB: Levi Colwill (75' for Palmer) - 5/10
SUB: Noni Madueke (87' for Sterling) - N/A
Subs not used: Djordje Petrovic (GK), Ian Maatsen, Axel Disasi, Alex Matos
Manager
Jesus Perez - 3/10 - Acting as the mouthpiece for the suspended Mauricio Pochettino, Perez watched an embarrassing capitulation from Chelsea. The Blues had absolutely no answer when things started to go against them. The lack of discipline will not have gone down well.
Player of the match: Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle)
This article was originally published on 90min as Newcastle 4-1 Chelsea: Player ratings as James sees red in dominant Magpies win.
