Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari had no complaints with Newcastle's defensive tactics in the scoreless draw at Stamford Bridge. "Newcastle were very good, fantastic and played for a draw, one million per cent right,' he told the club's official web site. "They didn't come here to play for a win, they played for a draw and maximum lose 1-0 or 2-0. They were better than us, thinking of a draw and drew. We were thinking to win and didn't win.

"We had 24 times to shoot in goal, and 10 times on goal. Newcastle didn't shoot one ball on goal in 90 minutes,' he assessed. 'Seventy per cent of the ball was with us, but we did not score a goal. If we scored a first goal maybe we score three or four. Today we didn't win one point, we lost two points."

Liverpool's goalless draw at home to Fulham ensures Chelsea remain on top of the Premier League.

"We need to win away. Sometimes it is easier to win away than at Stamford Bridge because away sometimes the fans pressure these teams to attack, here they don't want to attack."