With four minutes left it looked as if Chelsea were destined for the same two points tally from our home Christmas games as last season. Then Salomon Kalou pounced.
The Ivorian's timely goal had saved the day and possibly our title challenge. The three points had looked a certainty after Michael Essien opened the scoring in the first-half with the Blues well on top - but a scrappy Newcastle equaliser began a down turn in quality in the second-half before the late rally left the visitors fuming - an offside doubt about the deciding strike.
Two more players had been ruled out by injury prior to this game - Cech with his Blackburn hip problem lingering and now Shevchenko also - must have left Avram Grant thinking the team practically picked itself.
There was rotation at the back with Belletti coming in while Ben-Haim and Bridge plugged suspension gaps. Ballack was asked to take the captaincy for the first time and up front in a 4-3-3, Kalou was flanked by Wright-Phillips and Joe Cole.
In goal was Hilario with, in the continued absence of Cudicini, 17-year-old Wales Under 21 international keeper Rhys Taylor on the bench.
Would Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce have left the aerial threat of Viduka on the bench had he known a keeper making his first start of the season would be between the Chelsea posts? Only he can say for sure but instead he opted for the pace of Martins and the same shape as Chelsea with Milner and Duff, on a warmly received first return to the Bridge out wide.
The first action of note was referee Mike Riley reaching for his yellow card, Alex booked after four minutes for a challenge from behind on Martins. Hilario had to be sharp off his line to snuff out danger from the same player as the visitors attacked from the free-kick with a high ball over Alex.
Ballack showed great vision to chip through to Wright-Phillips on seven minutes but the flag was up. Then when Wright-Phillips returned the complement with a low ball, the German skied the ball into the Shed End.
It was a Shed End in fine voice throughout, another appearance by the Shed 100 group of fans leading the stand through a particularly impressive 'Ten Men' and some Newcastle-mocking numbers.
Faye evened up the booking count with a painful foul on Essien out wide, Newcastle's third offence in rapid succession.
Chelsea survived a big scare on 14 minutes when the ball caught between the feet of Mikel and Butt robbed him, sending Martins clear. Alex did very well to keep pace with and then challenge the speedy Nigerian.
The first shot on target of the game was by Kalou on 18 minutes after Belletti had nipped in down the right and crossed. Given saved.
The Newcastle keeper was again Chelsea's equal two minutes later when Mikel's shot after great footwork was deflected off Butt and needed a stretching saving to keep it out.
Alex was the next to be denied by Given, on 26 minutes, heading Cole's free-kick down but straight at the Irish stopper.
It was for the best then that Given was already on the seat of his pants on 28 minutes when as Taylor dallied, the ball fell for Essien to smash home from five yards out for the opening goal.
Wright-Phillips's shot as the ball came in from the right had been inadvertently blocked by Taylor with Given committed before it fell to the Ghanaian for his first goal since the 6-0 against Man City two months ago.
The chances continued to arrive without the Blues completely controlling the game - Cacapa across quickly for the visitors to deny Cole a shot as he latched on to a clever Kalou pass as the game approached the break.
Wright-Phillips then stripped Newcastle bare on the right but with Cole available at the near post and Kalou at the far, he found neither, compounding an unhappy personal end to the first period by heading wide a highly presentable chance from a deep Bridge cross.
If Given didn't have enough to do in keeping out the Chelsea players, in the first minute of the second-half he was forced into a fine save at full stretch to keep out an 18 yard 'shot' from Butt. That was after the Newcastle midfielder had slid onto a low Wright-Phillips cross.
It was wave after wave of Chelsea attack at the start of the second period. Mikel's great pass was crossed by Wright-Phillips and Cole's stab at goal was blocked by Beye.
With superiority clear on the pitch, Newcastle's messy 55th minute equaliser was hard to take. Chelsea paid the price for giving away the ball on halfway as Duff then N'Zogbia attacked. Mikel was beaten in the tackle and as Bridge tried to clear the line, Butt bundled in to leave an argument over who got the last touch. The Newcastle player certainly celebrated like it was his.
Shocked Chelsea went straight up the other end where Kalou headed Wright-Phillips's cross into Given's arms. The Magpies' keeper then dropped sharply to keep out a Ballack shot after another ball from SWP on the right.
On 64 minutes, Grant made his first switch, Pizarro on for Joe Cole with Kalou moving wide on the left.
It took Belletti to slide the ball out for a corner to prevent Duff giving the visitors the lead with a tap-in and then the Brazilian headed behind for another corner as Chelsea looked for a time stretched and out of shape.
Newcastle changed their formation with the introduction of Rozehnal on 69 minutes, Duff moving into midfield with N'Zogbia playing wide. Then Michael Owen replaced Martins on 73 minutes and two minutes later Ballack was taken off for Scott Sinclair with Chelsea, like Newcastle, now 4-2-3-1, Pizarro in behind Kalou.
Alex, who minutes earlier had blocked a Newcastle shot, made his presence felt at the other end but headed a cross down into the ground and over.
Kalou and Pizarro got in each other's way with five minutes to go and a shot went wide.
Then Belletti's cross was headed out for a corner and when Newcastle failed to completely clear properly, Chelsea scored our hotly disputed 86th winner. With shades of the first goal, Mikel's shot hit Pizarro and spun into the path of Kalou who took two touches, the second finding the net.
Newcastle were sure the scorer had been offside, and Butt and Given were booked for telling the linesman so.
Soon after the final whistle, news of Man United's defeat at West Ham filtered through. What minutes earlier had looked a dark December day, suddenly looked a whole lot brighter.
Chelsea (4-3-3): Hilario; Belletti, Ben-Haim, Bridge; Essien, Mikel, Ballack (c) (Sinclair 75); Wright-Phillips (Sidwell 90), Kalou, J Cole (Pizarro 64).
Scorers Essien 28, Kalou 86.
Booked Alex 4.
Newcastle (4-3-3): Given; Beye, Taylor, Cacapa, N'Zogbia; Butt, Faye, Smith (c) (Rozehnal 69), Milner, Martins (Owen 72), Duff (Viduka 88).
Scorer Butt 55.
Booked Faye 12, Butt 86, Given 86
This game can be seen in full on Chelsea TV from 6pm on Sunday. Highlights will be available on Chelsea Plus from midnight on Sunday.
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