Newcastle were once again condemned to defeat at Stamford Bridge, extending their win-less drought at the ground to 12 years.
Cole Palmer was imperious for the Blues and despite an improved performance, the Toon was powerless to prevent Chelsea from moving into the top four.
There were two changes to the Newcastle side that lost to Brighton last weekend, with Miguel Almiron, and Harvey Barnes, replacing Jacob Murphy and more worryingly Anthony Gordon,, who failed to make the squad, citing a groin injury.
The midfield trio of Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton has failed to yield a win yet for the Magpies, and this streak continued, with huge gaps continuing to appear between the defence and midfield.
Palmer thought he had opened the scoring within five minutes, as he appeared to beat the offside trap set by the Magpies early on. However, VAR intervened, ensuring the game remained goalless.
It did not remain like that for much longer, however, as Nicholas Jackson continued his good start to the season, with Palmer once again the architect.
His stunning pass cut Tino Livramento out of the game, finding Pedro Neto, who waltzed past Fabian Schar, before picking out the Senegalese forward, for an easy finish.
The goal appeared to ignite the Newcastle team, who appeared lacklustre in the first quarter of the game. Chances appeared for the Magpies, before Alexander Isak scored his first goal in black and white since September 1, as he rounded off an exceptional Magpies' move.
Livramento was involved again, driving with the ball through midfield, finding Harvey Barnes, who slipped the ball through to the overlapping Lewis Hall, whose low ball across made it impossible for the Swede to miss.
Half-time came and went before it was Palmer again who piled on the misery for the Toon. Isak lost the ball, poorly, in midfield, before Palmer drove towards the Newcastle box, facing minimal pressure, before unleashing a low powerful strike, that ought to have been pushed away by Pope, but instead found the back of the net.
This should not have been the last goal in the match, with both teams missing gilt-edged opportunities. Firstly, Isak rounded Sanchez, before driving down the byline towards the goal.
He had three potential passes, in Joelinton, Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff. Instead, the Swede attempted to go alone, as his attempted skill was read and blocked superbly by a backtracking Chelsea defender.
Later on, Mykhailo Mudryk, had ages to pick a spot from inside the box but was only able to find the body of Nick Pope. Chelsea were also denied a late penalty, as VAR overturned Dan Burn's adjudged foul on Christopher Nkunku.
Despite late pressure from the Magpies, they were unable to find a second goal, condemning them to another worrying defeat. Comfortably in the lower mid-table now, the Toon will be looking down rather than up, especially with tough games against Arsenal and Liverpool soon to come.
Eddie Howe's days may become numbered with the performances since the start of the season being dire, almost non-existent to the energetic and enthralling performances that had been associated with the club since the arrival of Howe in 2021.
The teams face each other again on Wednesday, this time in the Carabao Cup, and it is paramount that performances start to improve, if Howe wants to be in a job come the festive season.
Newcastle (4-3-3)
Nick Pope - 6.5
Usually Newcastle's saviour so far this season, the Englishman had to do better with Palmer's second-half effort, parrying it into his own net.
The 'keeper' was also poor in the air, appearing shaky from corners, with his punches constantly finding Chelsea players, ensuring the magpies remained under pressure for large parts of the game.
Tino Livramento - 6
Livramento is still yet to hit the heights that he managed during his first season at the toon last season. Despite playing a pivotal part in the magpies' goal, the full-back was on the losing side of the battle with Pedro Neto, despite improving as the game progressed.
Could be in a hard battle for the right-back spot, once Kieran Trippier returns from injury.
Fabian Schar - 4.5
The ex-Swiss international was not at his best on a tough day for the Newcastle defence at Stamford Bridge. His early yellow card for a cynical foul on Palmer on the halfway line set the tone, and diving in on Pedro Neto caused the first Chelsea goal.
Again, for Palmer's goal, the centre-back failed to close down the threat, allowing for an unopposed shot from not far outside the box.
Dan Burn - 5
Similar to his centre-back partner Schar, the Blyth-born defender had a game that will not live long in the memory in South West London. Constantly following Nicholas Jackson into midfield, caused more problems for the toon than the blues, as the striker was able to draw Burn out creating more space for playmakers such as Palmer to be able to operate in.
Newcastle are really starting to miss imposing figure Sven Botman in the defensive line.
Lewis Hall - 7.5
Comfortably Newcastle's best player on the day. Set up Isak's goal in the first half, and his set-piece delivery was threatening more often than not. He was able to deal with the threat of Noni Madueke relatively well, not letting his former England U21 teammate have too much of an impact in the game.
Hall is really starting to cement his left-back position, with his on-the-ball work among the best for defenders in the Premier League.
Sandro Tonali - 6
Tonali was once again solid in his phased return back into the team following his long-term suspension. The most comfortable of the midfield three, Newcastle lost structure and stability, when he was yet again substituted early.
This continued sub for Longstaff is causing the toon more harm than good, in the latter stages of games, with the Italian offering much more in both ends of the pitch.
Bruno Guimaraes - 5.5
One of the Brazilians' poorer games in a Newcastle shirt at Stamford Bridge. Usually the dictator of the game, Guimaraes was forced to watch Chelsea dominate the middle of the pitch, with the Brazilian often pressing too high, leaving space in behind.
When the Magpies realise their burning need for a defensive midfielder, it will allow Bruno to naturally progress higher up the pitch, which should mean more attacking influence for the Brazilian.
Joelinton - 4.5
Joelinton has lived on one good performance so far this season. His opening-day masterclass against Southampton is long in the past, and his technical deficiencies are starting to appear more commonly than in the past.
With Joe Willock waiting in the wings, the Brazilian's position in the starting XI is becoming less stable by the day.
Miguel Almiron - 5
In for his first Premier League start since the previous visit to Stamford Bridge in March, the Paraguayan was very quiet on the right-hand side. Locked up by Reece James for the majority of the game, his trademark cut-in was blocked off, forcing him into sideways and backward passes for the majority of the game.
His successor Jacob Murphy also achieved very little, and the RW spot remains a clear area of concern for Newcastle.
Alexander Isak - 5.5
While the Swede was able to score his first goal for the club since the beginning of September, his overall performance has continued a worrying trend that has been ever-present for the entirety of the season.
Despite his goal, Isak squandered possession far too easily for Palmer's goal, and let the team down with poor decision-making in the final third.
Harvey Barnes - 5
Barnes has been poor when starting this season, usually having a bigger impact coming off the bench than from starting in the XI. This was once again the case today, as despite playing a pivotal role in the Newcastle goal, he struggled to get the better of Malo Gusto on numerous occasions, before being substituted just past the hour mark.
Substitutes
Joe Willock (63) - 5.5
Offering valuable link-up with Joelinton on the left side, the Englishman gave a more direct approach in the midfield during his half an hour spell on the pitch. However, his running off the ball was ineffective, as he was condemned to a mere 14 touches.
Sean Longstaff (63) - 5
The North Shields- born midfielder has been named on the bench, since the Magpies' visit to Wolves. Each game upon coming on, his impact is relatively subdued, as the difference in technical ability between Longstaff and Tonali is huge. Yet again, offering very little, but worked hard off the ball and put in some key tackles.
Jacob Murphy (63) - 5
Murphy has found himself in the starting XI more often than not in recent games but was condemned to the bench in West London. His performance off the bench today is likely to cement his place on the bench for weeks to come, offering the same amount as Almiron, which in short is relatively little.
Lloyd Kelly (89) - N/A
William Osula (89) - N/A
