In a week that has seen their £58m striker offered around on loan and their brightest young star publicly courted by one of Europe's biggest clubs, how Chelsea supporters must be thankful for Eden Hazard.
The Belgium forward's contract expires at the end of next season and he could yet find himself at Real Madrid one day but he remains by far the most important player at Maurizio Sarri's disposal as the Italian struggles to impose himself on English football despite a promising start.
It took a moment of brilliance from Hazard to settle this match as he set up Willian to curl home from an acute angle. That ended Newcastle's hopes of a much-needed point after they had cancelled out Pedro's opener.
Watched by owner Mike Ashley as he continues to be frustrated in his attempts to sell the club, Rafael Benitez's side battled hard but were undone by a lack of quality in the final third.
Following their victory over Manchester City at the start of December, Chelsea had taken just one point from their last two home league games against Leicester and Southampton, failing to score in either.
With Alvaro Morata out injured and potentially leaving on loan, Sarri once again turned to Hazard to lead the line as Callum Hudson-Odoi made way for Pedro on the right flank.
The 18-year-old - the subject of a £35m bid from Bayern Munich - has still to start a Premier League game and found himself on the bench despite impressing in both cup competitions.
Unsurprisingly, given they have lost all of their last nine visits to top- six sides, Benitez opted for the safety-first approach with a five-man defence.
The 18-year-old - the subject of a £35m bid from Bayern Munich - has still to start a Premier League game and found himself on the bench despite impressing in both cup competitions. Unsurprisingly, given they have lost all of their last nine visits to top- six sides, Benitez opted for the safety-first approach with a five-man defence.
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