RIGHTLY or wrongly, Rafa Benitez tends to have a way of playing the Premier League’s big guns that leads to debate and, after suffering a second defeat from three at the start of the season, this was an afternoon when the outcome he wanted could not be delivered.

For more than two-thirds of this game, despite Chelsea boasting 81 per cent of the possession and most of that in the home side’s half, it looked as if Benitez’s tactics would deliver at least a point against a side showing greater confidence under Maurizio Sarri.

There can’t be many arguments on Tyneside about the outcome either, as Chelsea probed throughout in a bid to maintain their 100 per cent start to the new campaign. Yet that doesn’t tell the whole story because Newcastle almost secured a point.

Even when Eden Hazard finally broke the deadlock with 14 minutes remaining from the spot, after Marcos Alonso had been tripped in the area, the Magpies almost spared themselves from defeat – or at least for a few minutes anyway.

Spanish substitute Joselu headed in his second goal of the season with seven minutes remaining to raise hope in the Gallowgate end; even if DeAndre Yedlin probably should have been punished for leaving Olivier Giroud floored in the build up to it.

But Chelsea would argue justice was done three minutes later when Yedlin turned in Alonso’s volley through a crowded box to put Chelsea ahead for a second time and that was how it stayed.

Newcastle’s supporters backed their team throughout, just as Benitez had demanded on an afternoon when a couple of hundred fans protested against Mike Ashley outside one of his Sports Direct stores in the city centre beforehand.

But Newcastle, who have lost their opening two home games in the Premier League for the first time since 2003, will have to start delivering a run of victories sooner rather than later, knowing it is Manchester City and Arsenal up next in the league.

It was always going to be hard for Newcastle to find the net for only the second time this season with the tactics Benitez sent his team out with; if they were going to do that then it was always going to be on the counter-attack.

Such was his defensive approach to try to quell the threat of Hazard and the Chelsea ranks they even, according to reports that have been denied by the club, led to a dispute with team captain Jamaal Lascelles.

The highly-rated centre-half was officially ruled out with an ankle injury but that didn’t stop the suggestions that a training ground row with Benitez over being asked to play on the right of a three rather than in the middle cost him his place.

There was also the notable absence of Jonjo Shelvey in midfield because of a thigh complaint, and those two were among six changes from the side that drew at Cardiff – including four full debuts for Salomon Rondon, Ki Sung-yueng, Federico Fernandez and Fabian Schar.

The make-up of Newcastle’s back five was always likely to be in for a busy afternoon, given Maurizio Sarri’s way of sending Chelsea out with a three-man attack, plus the midfielders pushing on, and Hazard’s return to the starting line-up added the extra threat.

Hazard’s clever movement was there for all to see from the start and in the early exchanges it looked like Benitez would be asking his players to all get behind the ball in a similar way to how they performed against Manchester City last season.

It was not quite like that initially. Rondon, who worked hard throughout and did well to hold the ball up and allow others to join him in attack, might often have been an isolated figure, but that was not to say Newcastle didn’t push forward. They did.

In fact, Newcastle had the best chances in that opening period, despite the Blues dictating most of the possession. Before Pedro had curled an effort low into Martin Dubravka’s arms nine minutes before the break after a clever run from Hazard, Newcastle could easily have been ahead.

Jacob Murphy was first for the home side to try his luck, even if it was comfortably held by Chelsea’s record-busting £71.6m goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga inside six minutes.

Even though Antonio Rudiger and Pedro wasted a couple of decent positions for the visitors by missing the target, the best of the opening period’s chances fell to Rondon.

The West Brom striker, on loan for the season and clearly keen to impress on his St James’ bow, was perfectly placed to meet Fernandez’s cross from the left but his downward header dropped just the wrong side of the post.

Fernandez, signed from Swansea for £8m, had gone up for a corner that had not come to much and remained up there, while there was more focus on how he performed in the absence of Lascelles at the heart of the three.

He did what he had to, clearly confident to direct Schar and Ciaran Clark either side of him, and there were occasions where he was left on halfway while the rest of his team-mates went in search of an opener.

After the restart Chelsea looked full of greater intent to get the job done, starting off with a couple of efforts that Dubravka had to held. The first of those was the most difficult, when he got down low to deny Cesar Azpilicueta’s low drive towards the near post.

It was always going to be difficult for Newcastle to maintain the standards in work-rate from the first half, and that proved to be the case because the home side were even more defensive in the second.

It was no surprise to see Benitez replace Rondon just after the hour for Joselu because of just how much work had been expected of the man at the top of the system. Even then, though, there was rarely a break for the Newcastle defence.

As more and more minutes ticked Newcastle, showing signs of fatigue after working so hard to contain the visitors, were the team that showed frustration. Matt Ritchie, Schar and Fernandez all picked up cautions in desperate attempts to stop a Chelsea attack.

And the Chelsea breakthrough almost arrived through the unlikely source, when centre-back Rudiger hammered a 35-yard drive off the centre of the crossbar and Newcastle managed to clear.

But Sarri and the strong band of travelling fans didn’t have too much longer to wait. Just when hopes were growing that Newcastle could just hold on, former Sunderland defender Alonso worked his way behind Schar and the Swiss defender tripped him to concede the penalty.

Hazard, the liveliest man on the pitch throughout, did the rest by powerfully picking out the right-hand side of Dubravka’s net – sparking Benitez to scrap one of his centre-backs, Schar, in favour of forward Yoshinori Muto for the closing stages.

In displaying the extra adventure that was required, Newcastle got the reward. Chelsea had strong claims for a foul waved away when Giroud was left floored by Yedlin’s strong arm in the face, but there was quality about what followed.

Yedlin’s delivery to the near post was perfectly met by the head of Joselu and, despite Kepa’s best efforts, the goalkeeper could only help the equaliser into the roof of his net.

But Newcastle’s joy was shortlived as Newcastle failed to deal with a free-kick properly three minutes later. Alonso ended up volleying towards goal and Yedlin’s outstretched boot helped the ball over the line.

There was no way back for Newcastle after that and the wait for the first win of the season goes on, with champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium up next.