Is Potter out of his depth? Chelsea winners, losers and ratings as Blues' losing run goes on at Newcastle

Joe Willock:

Willock had been dangerous at times in the first half up against Cesar Azpilicueta and popped up with the vital goal in the second half. It was a fantastic strike from the 23-year-old, and his second in successive games following his goal against Southampton the previous week. It was a deserved reward for his role in Newcastle's high-press that rattled the visitors throughout.

Reece James:

Oh how Chelsea are missing this man! The Blues looked weak on their right side all through the game, with Azpilicueta exposed and Conor Gallagher unable to get things going in attack because of some poor decision making. The injured right-back's absence was felt throughout this match and it shows just how important he is to Graham Potter's team.

Cesar Azpilicueta:

The Spanish veteran looked out of his depth for spells in this game, with the Magpies putting him under pressure when they attacked down their left wing. He was too slow and easily exposed, leaving Potter no choice but to take him off at half-time to bring on Christian Pulisic. The Blues coach will be desperate to replace the club captain in the near future.

Kalidou Koulibaly:

Another disappointing display from the centre-back, even though he looked good at the start of the match. He was awful for the goal as he did nothing to stop Miguel Almiron on his run towards Chelsea's goal. The centre-back made it easy for the attacker, offering a lame attempt to stop him before Willock pounced and sent his shot past Mendy from the edge of the box. Koulibaly was too slow to react on many occasions, and it resulted in him getting booked late on for a silly foul.

Graham Potter:

The Chelsea manager has a tough job ahead of him and is getting a sense of how much work he has to do to fix this team. His side were totally stifled in this game and were second best all the way through. The Blues have now lost three in a row and could see themselves fall further away from a European place if the coach cannot get them playing well again soon.

Edouard Mendy (6/10):

He pulled off a couple of saves to deny the home team but his distribution was terrible yet again.

Cesar Azpilicueta (4/10):

Had a hard time when Newcastle attacked down his side and was useless in possession as he constantly passed it backwards. Came off at half-time.

Trevoh Chalobah (6/10):

Similarly frustrating on the ball as he constantly passed back to Mendy instead of looking for a way to build something for his side.

Kalidou Koulibaly (5/10):

Started off well by making some important interventions but his weaknesses were on display midway through the first half and left the Blues in danger as Newcastle upped the intensity in the second period. He should have done better against Miguel Almiron for the goal.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek (N/A):

Had to be replaced just seven minutes in because of an injury.

Mateo Kovacic (5/10):

A poor display from the Croatia international, who barely offered any protection in midfield and was not influential in attack, either.

Jorginho (6/10):

Slightly better than his fellow central midfielder but not at his best in this game as he struggled to deal with the pressure applied by the home team.

Lewis Hall (7/10):

Looked bright in his first Premier League appearance in what was a difficult match for his team before he went off with less than 20 minutes to play. Worked hard for the team and will surely get more playing time this season after that performance.

Conor Gallagher (6/10):

Worked hard to help his side out defensively, especially after he was moved back a bit in the second half, but was unable to influence the game when his side were attacking.

Mason Mount (5/10):

He was absent for most of the match and had very little influence. Ended up colliding with Armando Broja in the middle of the field, which summed up his display.

Armando Broja (5/10):

Did not have much to work with as Chelsea struggled to create anything while he was on the field. Was taken off after 73 minutes.

Thiago Silva (6/10):

Came on after seven minutes to replace Loftus-Cheek and was competent alongside Koulibaly and Chalobah. The visitors would have been much worse off without him in this match.

Christian Pulisic (6/10):

Came on at half-time but was quiet for the most part as Chelsea could not get up and running in attack.

Hakim Ziyech (6/10):

Came on with just over 15 minutes left to play and struggled to combine with those around him.

Kai Havertz (6/10):

Came on the same time as Ziyech but was not able to make a big difference for his team.

Marc Cucurella (6/10):

Another quiet performance from the ex-Brighton man after coming on with Ziyech and Havertz.

Graham Potter (4/10):

His team completely surrendered control of this game and did not put up enough of a fight against the Magpies.