Newcastle United 2–0 Chelsea Player Ratings: Goals from Guimaraes and Tonali Seals the Deal for the Magpies

Newcastle United hosted Chelsea on an early Sunday game at St. James' Park on 11th May 2025. It was an action-packed game that saw 2-0 score. The goals came from Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes. Read on to see Newcastle United vs Chelsea player ratings.

A stunning start from the host as we saw a quick counterattack from a Chelsea corner saw Bruno Guimaraes guide the ball in the form of a low cross to Sandro Tonali, and the Italian kept his composure and finished it with a bounce-tap in to make it 1-0 at the 2-minute mark.

It was all Newcastle after the goal till the 15-minute mark, where Chelsea were starting to cool off and have better control of the game as they were moving the ball with short passes.

The game started to shift towards the middle, and in that, we saw Nicholas Jackson's unnecessary tackle on Botman that gave him a yellow card. But the challenge was reviewed, and he was booked with a red card. In the 36th minute, a stunning header from Dan Burns almost doubled the lead for his team, but it went wide.

As the 40 marks came in, Chelsea started to become more threatening, even with 10 men, but Newcastle were quick to capitalize on any gap left by the Blues. After being 10 men, Cole Palmer took on the number 9 role, and the formation went 4-4-1.

After 45 minutes, 6 minutes were added as additional time. However, the score stood 1-0. The second half started with the introduction of Reece James for Chelsea. But the game was halted shortly after Livremento took a blow. Even though they were 10 men, Chelsea was the team that dominated the game in the second half and had more attempts on goal in the 2nd half as well.

In the 73rd minute, Chelsea made double substitutions that saw the team take on a 3-man defense. Barnes had another opportunity to double up Newcastle's lead, but his first touch was too heavy.

Enzo Fernandez had a go in the 81st minute, but the shot was saved by Pope and went for a corner. A Malo Gusto's cross in the 86th minute met the header of James Reece, but the header lacked both power and direction.

While it seemed like Chelsea would score on goal, it was Newcastle who doubled the lead with a stunning shot from Bruno Guimaraes from outside the box. After the normal 90 minutes, 5 extra minutes were added, but the score remained 2-0 as Newcastle beat Chelsea in the leaderboards as well.

Here are the Newcastle United vs Chelsea player ratings.

Newcastle United Player Ratings vs Chelsea

GK- Nick Pope- 5/10

Nick Pope had a relaxing first half as the goalkeeper had barely anything to do, props to his defense and solid composition of the team that nullified the threat from the wings.

LB- Tino Livremento- 5.5/10

With every game, Tino Livremento seems to get even better. Newcastle's approach of nullifying the wingers was the duties best carried on by the left back, as he kept Pedro Neto shut throughout the first half.

CB- Fabian Schar- 5/10

Even though Fabian rarely had anything to do in the first half, he made sure to be there when it was needed, especially as the Chelsea attacks started to come flying in. He was booked with a yellow card in the 52nd minute.

CB- Sven Botman- 5/10

Sven had to endure a massive and unnecessary blow from Nicholas Jackson. The center back had an amazing game, especially in the first half, where he led the defense line along with Fabian Schar. He was subbed off in the 55th minute.

RB- Dan Burn- 6/10

Even though he was given the green light to go forward, he had to be there with his defense as well. On a couple of occasions when his team had set pieces, he looked dangerous and almost doubled up his team's lead in the first half with a header.

CM- Bruno Guimaraes- 6/10

Perhaps a regular game for Bruno where his contributions get overlooked. He bagged the assist for the first goal after guiding a beautiful low cross in the box that met Sandro Tonali. He was booked with a yellow card in the 83rd minute. He scored the second goal of the match.

CM- Sandro Tonali- 6/10

Tonali's hunger for winning the 2nd and 3rd balls has been there in the game. In fact, it was that hunger that led to the first goal, as the Italian was the one who won the ball from Chelsea after the Anthony Gordon penalty call. The scorer had a great rest of the game.

LW- Anthony Gordon- 5/10

Newcastle surely missed Anthony Gordon on the wings. The Englishman's pace was troubling to the Chelsea defenders all evening. In addition to that, his presence on the wings allowed the defense line of Chelsea to be stretched wide to make spaces in the middle.

CM- Jacob Murphy- 5.5/10

Murphy has been the better version of himself in today's game. He looked lively on the wings and created chances out of nothing. His early ball towards Harvey Barnes almost gave the hosts the second goal of the match.

ST- Alexander Isak- 6/10

Isak had a half chance in the first half when Botman guided the ball towards him from a set piece. Isak's connection with the ball was not there, nor the direction. He was lively throughout the game and has been a constant threat. He was substituted in the 63rd minute.

RW- Harvey Barnes- 5/10

Harvey Burns had quite a few chances to make it 2-0. However, it would be cruel to blame him, as most of them were half-chances that were attempted by the right winger. He also created pocket spaces for his team while going behind the lines of Chelsea.

Sub- Lewis Miley- 4/10

Lewis was subbed in the 55th minute as the manager wanted fresh legs in the match. Sven Botman was taken off for the introduction.

Sub- Emil Krafth- 4/10

As his team was losing control of the match, Howe wanted to make the change and bring in Emil Krafth. Anthony Gordon was taken off for the introduction in the 63rd minute. He was booked with a yellow card in the 88th minute.

Sub- Callum Wilson- 4/10

Callum Wilson came into the match in the later minutes of the game to replace Isak.

Sub- Sean Longstaff- 4/10

Sean came onto the game along with Callum Wilson in the 93rd minute when his team was winning the game with a 2-0 lead.

Manager- Eddie Howe- 6/10

Even though his team had an early lead, Eddie Howe was challenged in the second half. With the right substitutions, he doubled up the lead and won the game.

Chelsea Player Ratings vs Newcastle United

GK- Robert Sanchez- 5.5/10

Robert Sanchez was the busier goalkeeper between the two. Even though he conceded the first goal, he saved his team multiple times in the first half from conceding the second.

LB- Merc Cucurella- 4.5/10

Cucurella was not the lively left back as he is due to the pressure from Newcastle. However, the Spaniard won 1 out of his 1 ground duels and maintained a total of 89% passing accuracy throughout the half. He had a thunderous blow on the Newcastle goal, but his shot was saved by Pope.

CB- Levi Colwill- 7/10

Colwill was perhaps the better defender in the back four today. Even though he left spaces behind, there were multiple times when his positioning and interceptions were decisive. The English defender had a much better game in the second half, where he kept the Newcastle players at bay.

CB- Trevoh Chalobah- 4.5/10

Chalobah got away multiple times from getting booked. Like Jackson, he made a couple of unnecessary jabs that were overlooked. He seemed to become comfortable as the match went on, given that his defense started to become more stable.

RB- Moises Caicedo- 5/10

Caicedo is turning out to be the best transfer for Chelsea. Even after playing at a different position, the midfielder has been just as effective. He made strong challenges to shut off Newcastle's left wing throughout the first half. He maintained 0.02 xG and 0.01 xA in the first half.

CM- Romeo Lavia- 6/10

Romeo Lavia was the best player of Chelsea in the first half. The center defensive midfielder maintained 92% passing accuracy throughout the first half. He maintained a 0.1 xA in the first half as well, even when his team was struggling.

CM- Enzo Fernandez- 5/10

Safe to say, Enzo Fernandez and his teammates failed to establish midfield dominance in the first half. The Argentine was frustrated throughout the first half, especially when his team went to 10 men. He was booked in the late minutes of the first half.

CAM- Cole Palmer- 5.5/10

Cole Palmer kept his composure in the first half, even after his team went to 10 men. However, the Englishman did not look comfortable while playing Jackson's position. He wanted more touches on the ball.

RM- Pedro Neto- 5/10

Pedro Neto was the only player who had put up a fight against Newcastle in the first half. The Portuguese tried his best to fool his mark, and on a few occasions, he did. However, there was no end product in the first half.

LM- Noni Madueke- 4.5/10

Unlike the previous fixture against Liverpool, Noni Madueke was invisible throughout the first half of the game. He is one of the few players in the Chelsea team who barely had any touches in the game's first half.

ST- Nicholas Jackson- 4/10

In addition to having a poor game, the forward of Chelsea forward played a reckless game as well. He made an unnecessary challenge to Botman that saw him receive a yellow card. But the challenge was reviewed, and he was booked with a red card.

Sub- Reece James- 4/10

Enzo Maresca was forced to play his cards early, and he did when he brought on Reece James at the beginning of the second half.

Sub- Malo Gusto-4/10

Enzo Maresca wanted to bring fresh legs into the match and brought in. He came in the 73rd minute of the game.

Sub- Jadon Sancho- 4/10

The Englishman came along with Malo Gusto in the 73rd minute to try and change the course of the game. He looked lively since he came in.

Manager- Enzo Maresca- 4/10

While the manager tried his best to change the fortune of the game, it was not there in his team in the evening. He looked upset as this win was crucial for the team.

Sportsdunia's Player of the match is Bruno Guimaraes.