Newcastle 2-2 Chelsea: Substitutes Willian and Ramires rescue champions after falling behind to strikes from Ayoze Perez and Georginio Wijnaldum at Blues' bogey ground

• Chelsea fought back from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw against Newcastle at St James' Park 
• Ayoze Perez opened the scoring for the hosts after a mistake from Blues defender Kurt Zouma 
• Georginio Wijnaldum peeled away from his marker at a corner to double the Magpies' lead
• Substitute Ramires pulled a goal back with an unstoppable shot into the top corner
• Fellow Brazilian Willian drew his side level with a late free-kick that managed to evade everyone 

By Craig Hope for The Mail on Sunday

Published: 13:25 EST, 26 September 2015 | Updated: 19:39 EST, 26 September 2015

Salvaging a point at the Premier League’s crisis club is not the stuff of champions, and Jose Mourinho knew it.

Rather than accept the invitation to laud the positives – namely two goals in the final 11 minutes from substitutes Ramires and Willian which rescued a barely-deserved draw – the Chelsea boss was instead irked by the performance of several individuals.

He went as far as to label the team’s first-half display the worst of his time in charge. It was hard to disagree. 

Brazilians Ramires and Willian (right) celebrate after scoring the goals to earn Chelsea a 2-2 comeback draw against Newcastle

The Brazilian came on to score from a long range free-kick that managed to evade everyone before finding the net

Substitute Ramires wheels away after scoring to bring Chelsea back into the game at St James' Park

Newcastle forward Ayoze Perez raises his arms in celebration after opening the scoring on Tyneside

Chelsea defenders watch as Perez controls the ball brilliantly before unleashing a stunning volley to hand Newcastle the lead

Georginio Wijnaldum (left) stoops to beat Chelsea keeper Asmir Begovic with an angled header from a corner in the second half

Holland international Wijnaldum leaps in the air to celebrate Newcastle's second goal

Despite the stirring comeback, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho was left still searching for his first league win at St James' Park

PLAYER RATINGS, PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE AND MATCH ZONE STATS

 

Newcastle (4-3-2-1): Krul 7; Janmaat 7, Mbemba 7, Coloccini 6.5, Mbabu 7.5; Colback 6.5 (Obertan 54), Anita 7; Wijnaldum 7; Sissoko 6 (de Jong 90), Perez 8; Mitrovic 7.5 (Toney 85). 

Subs not used: Elliot, Williamson, Lascelles, Thauvin.

Goals: Perez 42, Wijnauldum 60

Booked: Colback 

Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Begovic 6; Ivanovic 5, Zouma 5, Cahill 6, Azpilicueta 6, Matic 4 (Willian 61), Fabregas 4.5; Pedro 5, Oscar 4.5 (Ramires 73), Hazard 5; Remy 4 (Falcao 61).

Subs not used: Blackman, Terry, Mikel, Kenedy.

Goals: Ramires 79, Willian 86

Booked: Ivanovic, Pedro

Man of the Match: Perez 

Referee: Martin Atkinson

Attendance: 48,682

*Ratings by CRAIG HOPE at St James' Park 

 

Cesc Fabregas played an influential role in midfield- CLICK HERE for goals, heat maps and stats from our brilliant Match Zone

Chelsea were, in Mourinho’s own words, ‘awful’. They were laboured and predictable in attack, sluggish and unpredictable at the back.

Nemanja Matic, Loic Remy and Oscar were all hooked in the second half, but Mourinho admits he would have made six changes had rules allowed.

Pedro, Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard were fortunate to see out the match and, in the end, contributed little to the fightback in any case.

And this on the day Manchester City let them back into the title race following their defeat at Spurs. 

It is one thing losing at White Hart Lane, however, but to be beaten at St James’ Park is as good as surrendering your crown. For Steve McClaren’s side have been so poor in recent weeks that even Sheffield Wednesday’s reserves enjoyed victory here in the League Cup on Wednesday night.

To that end, their performance – they were much the better team and led through Ayoze Perez and Georginio Wijnaldum - was unrecognisable.

But so, too, was Chelsea’s until the late revival – and Mourinho was not hiding from that fact. 

Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard, who has struggled to scale the heights of last season, is put under pressure by Jack Colback (right)

Newcastle summer signing Aleksandar Mitrovic, who returned after a three-game suspension, tries to rouse the home crowd

Spanish World Cup winner Pedro (centre) raises his boot to try and win the ball during the opening exchanges

Chelsea goalkeeper Asmir Begovic (right), who is standing in for injured Thibaut Courtois, makes a save in the first half

A Newcastle supporter offers a linesman the use of his spectacles after disagreeing with a decision

Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas tries his luck from distance but his effort is easily saved by Newcastle keeper Tim Krul

‘I have extreme feelings – negative and positive,’ said the Portuguese, who has now failed to win in six league visits to Tyneside.

‘That was as bad as we have played in one half of football. A minus one out of 10.

‘I put it down to awful individual performances. It is impossible for a team to be a team when you have so many bad performances.

‘The team only played much better because of Ramires and Willian – not because they scored the goals, but both brought the team to a different level.’

On the subject of different levels, Newcastle produced a massively uncharacteristic display – for in short, they were good.

Booed from the field following their midweek humiliation in the cup, those jeers turned to cheers on full-time here, even despite their late collapse. 

Perez capitalised on a mistake by Kurt Zouma (left) to unleash an emphatic volley in off the framework

The Spanish forward brought the ball down with delicate control before handing Newcastle the lead

Begovic can only watch as the ball hits the back of the net to give Newcastle the lead over the champions

Perez races towards the home support to celebrate opening the scoring towards the end of the first half

Newcastle fans applaud wildly while Perez celebrates his opening goal by kicking out at the corner flag

Mourinho had an interesting take on why the Magpies repeatedly rally against his side.

‘One of the reasons Newcastle do not get good positions (in the league) is because of this mentality - they chose to sweat in some matches and not others, those sorts of teams win nothing,’ he said.

But they should have won here.

Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul said on the eve of the game that is was time for ‘men’ to emerge from the dressing-room and the signs were there from the off that they had done a lot of growing up in just 72 hours.

Aleksandar Mitrovic – back from a three-game ban – set the tone as he bullied Gary Cahill and Zurt Zouma. The Serb might have had the opening goal when Wijnaldum escaped down the left and swept over a cross that he flashed wide with a towering header.

Perez then led a home break through the middle and Moussa Sissoko slammed inches wide after accepting the Spaniard’s pass.

Asmir Begovic then produced a fine double save to deny Perez and Daryl Janmaat and the breakthrough goal came as no surprise.

Vurnon Anita dug out a high ball into the box from halfway but Perez had both Zouma and Branislav Ivanoic for company.

The 22-year-old, however, managed to outwit the pair of them with a cushioned first touch and killer second, slamming a volley beyond Begovic.

Under fire Newcastle manager Steve McClaren (left) reacts as he strives to end his side's four-game losing streak

Wijnaldum peeled away from his marker during a corner to beat Begovic with an angled header

Wijnaldum, who admits he has struggled to adapt to the Premmier League on Tyneside, celebrates doubling Newcastle's lead

The Dutchman races towards the corner to celebrate his second Premier League goal with Newcastle fans

Wijnaldum leaps in the air to celebrate his goal making it 2-0 to Newcastle at St James' Park

Chelsea were out late for the second half but whatever extra instruction Mourinho had given them in the dressing-room they failed to implement on the pitch.

Mourinho responded by ordering Willian and Radamel Falcao to get stripped but that pair were still waiting to come on when Newcastle netted their second on the hour.

Perez delivered an out-swinging corner from the right and Wijnaldum stole in unmarked to score his second headed goal at the Gallowgate End. 

McClaren gestures from the sidelines as Chelsea prepare to bring Willian and Radamel Falcao on 

Ramires (right) drills an unstoppable shot into the top corner to hand Chelsea a lifeline late in the game

The Brazilian midfielder wheels away in celebration after scoring to bring Chelsea back into the game

A bandaged Fabregas congratulates Ramires for bringing the reigning champions back into the game

Ramires (centre) attempts to head Willian's free-kick, which eventually finds the back of the net to earn Chelsea a draw

William reacts after scoring a late equaliser to complete the champion's comeback at their bogey ground

Zouma (left) and Chelsea team-mates congratulate William after his free-kick rescues the champions from suffering a fourth defeat

McClaren holds his head in his hand after Newcastle squander a two-goal lead to notch a first Premier League victory

The concession begged one question: where was John Terry? Answer: sat on the bench.

But there was to be a cruel twist in the tale for the hosts and Ramires unleashed a 25-yard scorcher into the top corner to kickstart the comeback.

That snapped Chelsea from their slumber and Willian broke Newcastle’s stiff resistance on 86 minutes, albeit fortuitously as his deadball delivery – intended as a cross – evaded all before bouncing in.

It saved a point, yes, but Mourinho's men had failed to prove one

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