After Chelsea counted the cost of Liam Rosenior\u2019s tactical \u201cobsession\u201d on Wednesday as Paris Saint-Germain tore through them at the Paris des Princes in the last 20 minutes, Eddie Howe and Newcastle relied on the same fixation at Stamford Bridge to strike a crushing blow in the Blues\u2019 bid for Champions League qualification.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe can go left, he can go right. But no, there\u2019s an obsession with going through the centre,\u201d Jamie Carragher said as he analysed Filip Jorgensen\u2019s blunder, which turned the tide firmly in PSG\u2019s favour<\/a> from a state of extreme and impressive comfort for Chelsea at the home of the European champions.<\/p>\n Enzo Fernandez was seen screaming at the goalkeeper after having his pocket picked from another straight pass late in the defeat; in response to the Jorgensen error and that viral clip, Rosenior<\/a> reaffirmed he\u2019s asked his players to \u201cplay in a certain way\u201d.<\/p>\n The risk is clear and \u2013 in fairness \u2013 so too was the reward in Paris and for the first 20 minutes here, when Cole Palmer was frequently found on the half-turn between the lines and perhaps should have made more of the favourable positions he took up, as Chelsea failed to take advantage of a spell of dominance expected against a Newcastle team without any of midfield trio Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali or Joelinton for the first time in the Premier League under Eddie Howe.<\/p>\n Rarely has the \u2018goals change games\u2019 cliche been quite so justified, nor a Premier League goal scored quite so easily \u2013 ironically straight through Chelsea\u2019s soft centre \u2013 as Rosenior shook his head on the touchline at his players\u2019 disregard for his \u201cobsession\u201d.<\/p>\n Tino Livramento took a stroll into midfield and could hardly believe his eyes as he looked up and spotted Joe Willock free in a gaping hole between Chelsea\u2019s two centre-backs having wandered off the back of Reece James in midfield. Willock ran through and squared the ball for Anthony Gordon, who took one touch before rolling it into an empty net.<\/p>\n To say Chelsea lost their way after the goal would be the understatement of all understatements as Howe and Newcastle gave Alejandro Garnacho and Palmer the wings in the knowledge that they would never use them, clogging up passing lanes in the centre of the pitch to stymie Chelsea entirely for the rest of the first half and much of the second.<\/p>\n A three-minute period to sum up the flow of the game saw Chelsea play very pretty but pointless passes and turn down several presentable crossing opportunities before Fernandez delivered one straight to Aaron Ramsdale, and then quite literally one pass had Harvey Barnes running in behind the Blues defence.<\/p>\n Chelsea improved in the second half but created little and any time a player popped up in space in a shooting position they were swarmed by a hugely impressive Newcastle defence.<\/p>\n