Remy Cabella brace sinks Chelsea
Remy Cabella scored a goal in each half to give Newcastle a deserved victory over in-form Chelsea at St James' Park.
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Mike Williamson seen here battling for the ball with Eden Hazard
Chelsea, on the back of six straight wins, edged the first half as John Terry hit the bar and had a header cleared off the line.
However, the Magpies dominated after that and went ahead when Cabella drifted in at the far post to head home Sissoko's deep cross
Victory was sealed when Cabella curled in a shot from Vurnon Anita's pass.
And while it may still take supporters some time to forget last weekend's disappointing defeat against Manchester City, this result gives more promise of steady progression that the club has made so far this season
Their victory over Chelsea, who started the day first in the Premier League, was built on a disciplined defensive display and a powerful second-half performance which overwhelmed their below-par visitors.
Chelsea playmakers Willian, Oscar and Eden Hazard were not given room to dictate play, meaning Didier Drogba was starved of the service he required to cause any problems
Newcastle kept their shape well, limiting Chelsea to just a few clearcut chances in a fairly subdued first half - both of them from set-pieces.
Chelsea might have been dominating possession and pressing Newcastle back when they did lose the ball, but they lacked the penetration to break down their resolute hosts.
It also served to offer Newcastle encouragement, and the home side gradually seized control prior to half-time.
The pressure finally told just after the restart when Cabella nipped in front of Branislav Ivanovic to head home Sissoko's deep cross.
The game looked up for Chelsea when Eden Hazard dragged a shot wide from 12 yards out and so it proved as Cabell scored his eighth goal of the season via the inside of the post.
It sealed a superb performance by the hosts, who move up to fourth in the Premier League, while Mourinho, who has never won at St James' Park, saw his side stay top after Manchester lost.
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Jose Mourinho had this to say after the match
"I don't say my team failed, I say United played much better than us, deserved much more than us to win," he said.
"The situation is simple to analyse: they were the best team, they won."
He added: "The first goal was an offside but we would still have lost 1-0 as we were never close to scaring Newcastle in the game.
"Today proved how difficult it is to win here."
A near flawless month bar the Manchester City loss and West Ham draw, which we really should have won. but overall im very pleased with how february went, if we carry on with this form til the end of the season we could find ourselves giving the top 4 sides a real scare
We now sit fourth and look pretty comfortable there to though Tottenham do have a game in hand. But we do have a fairly straight forward run home barring the Arsenal and Everton matches which will prove a real test of our credentials
Arsenal, Sunderland and Everton await next month, this could prove to be a very crucial month indeed. If we manage a win against Arsenal first up it should really confirm our place in Europe for next season, Sunderland is up next and i dont really have to explain the importance of that derby, last of all we play Everton who sit 3 points ahead of us so its a crucial six pointer
i use attacking as my primary mentallity because it works with the squad i have, to mant attacking players to play on the break
