Chelsea managed to clinch a 2-1 win over Newcastle and regain their place at the top of the Champions League places.

Nicolas Jackson gave the Blues the lead after Cole Palmer's exquisite pass found Petro Neto, who set up the striker before Alexander Isak equalized for the visitors.

But as is often the case at Stamford Bridge, Cole Palmer rose to the occasion and scored the winning goal in the second half.

While Chelsea won their first league game in three games, Newcastle are now winless five times and remain in the bottom half.

Which Enzo Maresca star is “clinging” to his place? Which key star only managed a 5 for Newcastle? And who will finally convince Blues fans that it's not a wasteful purchase? Mail Sport's Kieran Gill was at Stamford Bridge to bring you our player ratings.

Chelsea moved into the top four with a 2-1 home win over out-of-form Newcastle

Toon got back on the scoresheet and was dangerous towards the end, but was second best for most of it

CHELSEA (4-2-3-1)

Robert Sanchez – 6

He maintains his position as Chelsea's No.1 but his distribution needs to improve as his constant turnovers here opened up opportunities for Newcastle.

Malo Gusto – 6.5

Received the nod from the right, although Newcastle equalized from that side when Hall beat Barnes before assisting Isak.

Wesley Fofana – 6.5

Booked for his sixth consecutive Premier League game. I expected Newcastle to whistle for a foul, but it never came as Newcastle broke through late, but Isak didn't take that chance.

Robert Sanchez constantly gives away the ball and is in danger of taking his place between the posts

Reece James was deployed at left-back and was effective, denying Alexander Isak a goal

Levi Colwill – 7

He may have fouled Guimaraes, but luckily for Chelsea it wasn't in the penalty area, making VAR Jarred Gillett's job much easier. Stole the ball from Isak before Palmer's shot.

Reece James – 7

Surprisingly used on the left side rather than the right. He made his biggest contribution after 70 minutes when he prevented Isak from scoring the second equalizer by getting back on the goal line.

Moises Caicedo – 7.5

Far fewer Chelsea fans these days will criticize Caicedo as a £115m waste as he has become a great interceptor for them, including being able to get to the ball before Isak could make it 2-2.

These days, far fewer Chelsea fans feel the £115m spent on Moises Caicedo was a waste

Romeo Lavia was instrumental in setting up Cole Palmer's winning goal when he won the ball

Romeo Lavia – 7

He started ahead of Enzo Fernandez as Lavia can be a whirlwind in Chelsea's midfield. He and Colwill teamed up to grab the ball in advance until Palmer made it 2-1.

Noni Madueke – 6.5

He looked set for a foul when he charged in from behind and fell after a ruck from Burn. But the officiating team was in no mood to help Chelsea here.

Cole Palmer – 9

Certainly the pass of the season. The Premier League will do well to see a better ball than Palmer's ball at the back to give Chelsea the opening goal. He then scored a great goal to give the team a 2-1 lead.

Palmer's “pass of the season” sent Chelsea their first and he scored the winning goal

Pedro Neto – 7.5

He made no mistake and shot the ball to Jackson to make it 1-0. He had hoped he had helped Chelsea regain the lead with a deflection, but Pope pushed it away. The guard also refused to allow him to go home.

Nicolas Jackson – 7.5

Great shot and turn before his pass into the back of Palmer, even if that shot was disallowed. Jackson is underestimated in the build-up game and scored a goal himself with a tap-in.

Subs

Mykhailo Mudryk (for Madueke, 67) – 6

Had a great chance late on to extend Chelsea's lead but was thwarted by Pope.

Enzo Fernandez (for Lavia, 72) – 6

Was brought to victory alongside Caicedo.

Enzo Maresca had an aggressive attitude on the touchline that paid off in the end

Marc Cucurella (for Gusto, 78) – N/A

Christopher Nkunku (for Jackson, 78) – N/A

MANAGER

Enzo Maresca – 7

Showed his anger all the time. He smacks his seat. Letting the staff vent. But in the end the aggro was worth it as Chelsea picked up a big win and continued their push into the top four of the Premier League.

NEWCASTLE (4-3-3)

Nick Pope – 5.5

There was no stopping Jackson from scoring the first set. He managed to deny Neto at least twice, but Palmer failed to do so as he attacked Newcastle's defence.

Tino Livramento – 5.5

Back to the club that produced him and then sold him. Palmer's pass from the inside took him completely out of the picture and gave him no chance to catch Neto.

Fabian Schar – 5.5

Palmer's early goal was disallowed for offside, but when Newcastle deemed it legitimate, Schar was involved in a heated inquiry with Joelinton. Neto could not be stopped in the run-up to the opening game.

Nick Pope will have been disappointed to be beaten for the winning goal

Tino Livramento had no chance against Palmer's great through ball in the first half

Dan Burn – 5.5

Couldn't keep up with Jackson and prevent him from making it 1-0. Referee Simon Hooper awarded Chelsea a penalty after his “foul” on Nkunku, but the VAR decided, probably rightly, that it was too soft.

Lewis Hall – 6

Good overlapping run into the box to collect a pass from Barnes before finding Isak to make it 1-1. Another Newcastle starter produced by Chelsea's Cobham academy.

Sandro Tonali – 5.5

It was striking how many men Newcastle seemed to have in midfield on paper, and yet for long stretches there seemed to be no one as Chelsea controlled the competition.

Bruno Guimaraes – 5

I was hoping to get a penalty when he went down – and then did the whole pantomime of him pretending to be injured by Colwill's challenge – but it happened outside the penalty area.

It wasn't Bruno Guimaraes' best day in the office as Newcastle struggled to control the game

Alexander Isak scored his goal, but was careless in possession and unable to make decisions

Joelinton – 5.5

Joelinton is never afraid to gain possession in tight spaces and drive the ball forward whenever he can. He wished Isak had tried to pass to him instead of going for the goal himself.

Miguel Almiron – 5.5

He missed his chance to equalize after breaking in after Guimaraes' ball. Another chance was saved by Sanchez as Howe ended up replacing both wide players.

Alexander Isak – 5

The right place, the right time to make it 1-1. But he lost the ball before Palmer scored and then wasted a great chance by going towards goal himself instead of pushing the ball to Joelinton.

Newcastle fans booed when Sandro Tonali was withdrawn but he didn't make much of an impression

Harvey Barnes – 6

It was 2-1 when he shot inside from the left and we thought one of his classic whip shots into the corner might follow… but he hesitated and hesitated until the chance was gone.

Subs

Jacob Murphy (for Almiron, 68) – 6

With the help of Livramento, he came into play on the right side but was unable to get behind Chelsea.

Joe Willock (for Barnes, 68) – 6

He partnered Isak at the top but never saw a clear chance of saving Newcastle.

Sean Longstaff (for Tonali, 68) – 6

Newcastle fans booed the removal of Tonali even though he had done little with his minutes.

William Osula (for Joelinton, 89) – N/A

Lloyd Kelly (for Hall, 89) – N/A

MANAGER

Eddie Howe – 5

Chelsea controlled parts of this game, but Newcastle managed to get back into the game at 1-1. But even though they chased the game, they couldn't resume it.

REFEREE

Simon Hooper – 4

Not his greatest game. You know you've been bad when none of the supporters are happy with your performance. Among the dodgy decisions was a Chelsea penalty that the VAR had to overturn.