Newcastle United breezed past Chelsea 4-1 on their return from the international break to move up to sixth in the Premier League.
Alexander Isak put the Magpies ahead inside 13 minutes after Lewis Miley's assist, before Raheem Sterling responded for the visitors with a sumptuous free-kick.
A two-goal blitz on the hour mark thanks to Jamal Lascelles and Joelinton then took the game away from the Blues, punishing a porous backline, that was penalized even further when Reece James was sent off in the 73rd minute.
The man who drew the foul for that red card, Anthony Gordon, then grabbed Newcastle's fourth goal of the afternoon.
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Whilst there were several standout performers in black and white, Kieran Trippier showed why "they're so reliant on him" – as dubbed by journalist Raj Chohan – with his excellent display against Mauricio Pochettino's side.
Kieran Trippier's performance in numbers against Chelsea
Since his arrival from Atletico Madrid at the start of 2022, Newcastle have been heavily reliant on Trippier's output down the right flank due to the quality he can serve up from open play and set-pieces.
The Englishman boasts a wand of a right foot that is capable of conjuring up magical performances and that was no different this afternoon.
Much like most modern full-backs, Trippier likes to take risks in possession, as demonstrated by the fact he lost the ball a whopping 29 times, but he made up for that by serving up pieces of quality on a platter for his Toon teammates, especially from set-pieces.
He was unfortunate not to get his name on the assist or scoresheet on several occasions. One of his corners was planted onto the head of Joelinton, who put his free header wide of the target before seeing his venomous free-kick clatter off the upright.
Trippier constantly barraged the Chelsea goal with piercing deliveries and pin-point passes, accurately placing three of his long balls, four of his crosses and 83% of his passes.
A menace going forward and a brick wall defensively, the 33-year-old didn't show his age coming up against the pacey Sterling, recording three of his tackles and winning six of his ten ground duels.
That being said, Trippier wasn't the only impressive performer against the Blues as Bruno Guimaraes completely dominated in midfield.
Bruno Guimaraes's performance in numbers against Chelsea
Hailed as a "cut above" by one writer, Guimaraes was back to his best against Chelsea, putting in a truly special performance.
The heartbeat of this Newcastle side, who drives his side forward with lung-bursting runs from midfield, the Brazilian was everywhere on the pitch from a defensive and attacking capacity.
Statistic
Figure
Accurate passes %
86% (61/71)
Long balls (acc.)
10 (7)
Dribble attempts (succ.)
4 (4)
Ground duels (won)
13 (10)
Tackles
3
All stats via Sofascore
Aside from showing his class in possession and demonstrating why he was a 'cut above' with seven accurate long balls placed and all four of his dribbles completed, the 25-year-old didn't just orchestrate attacks from the middle of the park, he was the key to winning back possession.
He won a whopping ten of his 13 ground duels, getting the better of his South American counterpart, Enzo Fernandez while winning an impressive three tackles.
Although he lost possession 16 times, Bruno's relentless pressing and tough-tackling ensured that Newcastle returned from the international break with a bang by dispatching the hapless Blues.
If the Magpies have aspirations of qualifying for the Champions League in consecutive seasons, performances – like the one the midfield destroyer put in this afternoon – will be crucial to achieving that aim.