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Werner leads Chelsea to 2-0 win over Newcastle

London, Feb 15 (efe-epa).- Timo Werner set up one goal and scored another to lead Chelsea to a 2-0 victory here Monday over Newcastle United, the club’s fourth consecutive Premier League win.

The Blues were expected to secure the triumph, and with it fourth place in England’s top division, and they did so comfortably at Stamford Bridge in Matchday 24 action.

Werner nearly converted one chance on a header off a pass from Marcos Alonso and fired another shot over the crossbar, but the German forward set up the opening score at around the half-hour mark just after heading over to the touchline for some medical attention for a split lip.

On the play, he maneuvered around a defender on the left side and sent in a cross that Newcastle goalkeeper Karl Darlow deflected straight to Olivier Giroud, who sent a left-footed shot into the middle of the goal from close range.

The home side then continued to heap pressure on the Magpies with charges down the right side of the field by Callum Hudson-Odoi and the attacking play of Mateo Kovacic and Werner, who made the score 2-0 in the 39th minute by booting in a corner kick that had made its way to him at the far post.

Chelsea goalie Kepa Arrizabalaga, who has won the confidence of new head coach Thomas Tuchel, preserved the two-goal lead when he made an outstanding save of a header by Joe Willock in the 74th minute.

Although Newcastle seized more of the initiative in the second half, they never seriously threatened to mount a comeback.

The news was not all good, however, for the Blues, as Tammy Abraham – the club’s top scorer this season – injured his right ankle on a tackle in the 14th minute by Newcastle’s Jamaal Lascelles.

With this latest victory, Tuchel has now guided Chelsea to four straight Premier League wins and a six-match unbeaten streak across all competitions since taking the helm on Jan. 26.

The club were in ninth place in the Premier League when the former Paris Saint-Germain manager took over from Frank Lampard in late January but now sit in fourth with 42 points, 11 behind league-leading Manchester City and four behind both second-place Manchester United and third-place Leicester City.

Werner, who has mainly played the role of distributor this season, ended a 14-match goal drought by scoring in the first half.

In one other Premier League contest on Monday, West Ham United leapfrogged Liverpool into fifth place by routing last-place Sheffield United 3-0 at London Stadium. EFE-EPA

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