Maurizio Sarri praised his team's determination after they scrapped past Newcastle United with a 2-1 victory at St. James' Park on Sunday.

The Blues took the lead through an Eden Hazard penalty after 76 minutes before Joselu's fabulous glancing header snuck in the near post to level the scores.

It looked as though Newcastle were destined to steal an unlikely draw until Marcos Alonso's shot deflected off Magpies defender DeAndre Yedlin into the back of the net.

And speaking after the game, Sarri was delighted with the way his team fought for the victory.

"We knew it's a difficult game here, especially for us but for every team," said Sarri.

"Last season Chelsea, Man United and Arsenal all lost here so I don't think it's easy to play here against this opponent.

"To be drawing five minutes from the end, it was even more difficult. From the character point of view this is a strong team."