Sissoko lands knockout blow

Newcastle 3 Chelsea 2

After Benitez suffered the fifth defeat of his short reign it seems a wise decision. He has a greater battle on his hands: the fight to stay in a job.

Now Newcastle United, inspired by a powerful match-winning performance from new signing Moussa Sissoko, have made things a whole lot worse.

Chelsea have won just four of their last 10 matches, with Sissoko’s well-struck stoppage-time winner capping a terrific home debut which piled on the misery for Benitez in the process.

It had looked as if the reigning European champions — a status which is hard to believe these days — had made a perfect recovery from John Terry’s failure to stop Jonas Gutierrez from heading Newcastle in front four minutes before half-time. But in the end two brilliant second-half goals from Frank Lampard — reaching double figures for a record 10th consecutive Premier League season — and Juan Mata were undone by weaknesses at the other end.

“We have to show better experience when we are winning because at 2-1, with Mata running the show, we looked on our way to victory,” said Benitez.

“We were on top and had control, but we didn’t have the experience to stop the counter attacks. ”

With seasoned internationals all over the pitch for Chelsea, citing a lack of experience was strange from Benitez, who must have been particularly annoyed by Newcastle’s second goal. Terry, the Chelsea skipper, was to blame again.

This time he lunged unnecessarily in to a mistimed tackle on halfway when Chelsea were dominant. The hole he left was exploited when Senegal striker Papiss Cisse sent another effective debutant, Yoan Gouffran, clear on goal.

When Petr Cech could only parry the initial shot from the former Bordeaux forward in to the path of Sissoko, the French midfielder side-footed Newcastle level with 22 minutes remaining and the balance of play shifted back towards the home team.

Sissoko, a bargain £1.8m buy from Toulouse because he was available for nothing in the summer, then struck the winner from Davide Santon’s pass to cap an individual performance which was full of power, drive and intelligence.

Newcastle have won two from two since splashing more than £16m on five new first team players last month and the investment has already been worthwhile. In Sissoko, whose £10m price-tag previously put off interested clubs, Pardew appears to have acquired another gem from across the English Channel.

“You don’t always know how it’s going to work out with a new player, but I did have a good feeling,” said the Newcastle manager.

Sissoko’s winner has lifted Newcastle six points clear of the Premier League’s bottom three and he believes there is a lot more to come.

The 23-year-old French international said: “When I signed I knew full well the position Newcastle were in but I didn’t have any fears. The problem Newcastle had was a lot of injuries. In the second half of the season it’s going to be very different with the new signings bringing a boost to the team.

“I’ve never had so much encouragement, so much support as when I came off. I’m absolutely delighted. I always said I wanted to come to England to play in the Premier League and to witness this sort of support. I’m delighted to be at Newcastle.

“I gave 100%, the very best I could. I was signed to do that — to give everything, to fight from the first to the 90th minute and that’s what I tried to do.”