Half time: Chelsea 0 Newcastle 0

63mins There didn't seem too much danger as Makelele's ball into the box found Drogba but Robert had failed to track back with Lampard and Drogba's nod-down allowed the England man finished easily from ten yards. 0-1

69mins Lampard hit a hopeful ball forward to Drogba who shrugged off the feeble attentions of Bramble before curling a low effort past Given. 0-2

89mins Jenas failed to cut out a ball in midfield, only gifting it to Duff just inside our half. Duff surged forward and played it inside to Robben who was able to brush off Bowyer, side-step Hughes and tuck the ball past Given. 0-3

90mins Duff ran clear onto a Drogba ball and Given brought him down in the area, although he did get a touch on the ball and Duff had looked offside. Thankfully, card-happy ref Rob Styles took pity on our 'keeper and deemed the penalty sufficient punishment. The ball was handed to Kezman who broke his Premiership duck with a cheeky chipped penalty. 0-4

Full time: Chelsea 4 Newcastle 0

Graeme Souness said:

"Titus is meant to be the strongest man in English football.

''We are still shell-shocked because 4-0 is harsh on us. 'We had matched them all across the park for an hour. They have some outstanding players.

''The first goal was not what you would call good defending and the second goal killed us. We then had to chase everything. We know Drogba is an extremely strong player but we had some strong players out there but they didn't resist the challenge he made for the second.

"You know what is coming in that situation and you have got to deal with it. But I think it is hard on us.

''They are the team playing with great confidence at the moment and the team to catch. I don't think fitness is an issue. Losing concentration is costing us dearly.

''You would be a fool to say that no-one can catch them but I don't think people in Manchester or North London will think the game is up just yet."

We may have travelled more in hope than in expectation, given the fact that better Newcastle sides than the current vintage have perished at the hands of less talented Chelsea teams in the 18 years since we last tasted victory on this ground.

That being the case, to be holding the current Premiership leaders to a scoreless draw after an hour - having perhaps even shaded the contest - was no mean feat. After all, weren't we the side who kept out Chelsea for ninety minutes in a recent League Cup tie and beat them 2-1 on Tyneside in the last league meeting of the teams?

Unfortunately we were also the side who had been thumped here 0-5 13 months ago, being two down in 39 minutes before Andy O'Brien was invited to leave the field by the officials.

And once again, our perpetual Achilles heel of defensive slackness was to prove our undoing, with the roof falling in once Lampard had found space in our penalty area to fire past Given.

Whatever good work had been accomplished up until then was rendered useless within six minutes, as last season's UEFA Cup torturer Drogba powered past Bramble to double the lead and hole us fatally below the waterline.

Third and fourth goals were of little consequence but harsh, given the sixty minutes we'd kept Chelsea out and there it was, another miserable defeat on this ground for the muted geordie contingent to brood over as they exited to battle with crowds of yuletide shoppers in the streets and on the tube.

But while those fans filed out of the cramped away section, what was their final view of proceedings? A beaming Patrick Kluivert glad-handing Didier Drogba and leaving the field with the Chelsea player's shirt, apparently without a care in the world. At least Shearer would have had the decency to look gutted.

In this alleged season of goodwill, there isn't a great deal of it being directed at Kluivert, but unlike some local journalists we're still awake often enough to know that this has been festering for some time.  

Quite simply he doesn't give a fig about any of it - Elton John and REM will be touring Premiership football grounds next year with more conviction than this bloke.

Appropriate then that Dyer ended up trying to defend Kluivert via the press in the aftermath of this defeat - another player who has felt the wrath of the fans after showing a less than committed attitude this season.

Not that people have started shouting at the Dutchman - yet. Despite doing nothing in this match to warrant it, he was still mysteriously clapped off the pitch.

However it was Dyer who at least raised his game today and was at the heart of most of what we did well, as we more than held our own in midfield.  

That was until Chelsea changed their focus with some timely substitutions and we were cracked open, having neglected to work out in advance what we'd do to combat changes in their lineup and being seemingly unable to formulate tactics on the hoof - certainly Aaron Hughes wasn't party to whatever plan we'd hatched... 

An upping of effort from our number 8 though was so blatantly evident though that one looked in vain for Dyer's agent running down the touchline alongside him holding a for sale sign, or pushing pieces of paper under Mourinho's door. Why they - or anyone else - would want someone with his attitude and baggage though remains a mystery.

Quite simply we did more than we may have expected us to on this ground, but when the home side moved through the gears we had no response - just like the League Cup game. 

And again like our last meeting, we were unable to even gain the foothold of a goal to build on - we got nothing for holding them for ninety minutes then and we got nothing for repeating the feat for an hour today.  

For Newcastle, Christmas cannot come quickly enough - and that's got nothing to do with mince pies or plum duff, but simply that it brings nearer the chance we have to shuffle our pack in 2005 to make some room at the St.James' Inn, for whatever newcomers we can entice in.

You're welcome to supply your own comments about wise men and messiahs, but from Gallowgate to Barnsley to Lisbon, Souness has to get right the tricky task of hiring and firing, or as looks increasingly to be the case, make do and mend until the end of the season

The problem with that is that the chief Shepherd only has eyes for the gold and is eagerly awaiting the promised miracle in the very near future, as are his depressed flock.

The consequences of struggling in the transfer market and slipping up in front of the nation against a non-league on live TV simply don't bear thinking about. A third round exit would arguably be our biggest balls-up since the Partizan penalty farce - a footbaling disaster that ultimately saw off Sir Bobby.

Biffa

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