Newcastle United stun flat Chelsea in what could be Antonio Conte’s last Premier League game

Newcastle United 3-0 Chelsea: Perez scored twice as Gayle got the opener

Perez scored twice as Newcastle ended the season on a high (Getty Images)

There are ways for champions to pass over their crown, for a side to admit defeat in its desire to reach the Champions League, and this was not it, mercilessly torn to shreds by a rampant Newcastle.

There were 3300 Chelsea supporters in St James’ Park, and bit by bit, they followed the lead of those in blue, and retreated.

Tyneside witnessed a surrender and the glee was vociferous. It feels like their team is going up, and it was a day when Chelsea leant down and died. There is an FA Cup final next week to contest and then the World Cup finals after that for some of their stars, but when the game began, at three o’clock, Antonio Conte had designs on a top four finish.

(Getty Images)

You would never have known it. Across the field, Chelsea did not play. Chelsea did not even arrive. Their sizeable following were not even given scraps of comfort.

By the time the season had closed there were rows of empty seats across Level Seven in the Leazes End of the stadium. There had been muffled jeers from those travelling supporters at half-time, when Newcastle had outshot their visitors by eleven to zero.

For the home side and their fans this was a victory to mirror the final day of the campaign two years ago, when, despite relegation, they defeated Tottenham five-one and created.

This time it cemented a completely deserved top ten finish; a team that has grown into the campaign and found a leader in Rafa Benitez, briefly mocked by those who had ventured north, to continually find improvement in his players.

(Newcastle Utd via Getty Images)

Do not insult those who started and finished in black and white as Championship players anymore, this is a Premier League team, who, with clever assistance, can climb.

There was energy at least from Chelsea’s manager when the game began, dressed in a blue club tracksuit, but it did not transfer to the field of play. Newcastle excelled in the heat, their visitors wilted.

By the 20th minute, the overworked Thibaut Courtois had made a fine save to deny a Jonjo Shelvey pile driver, tipped a Mo Diame shot around the post, stopped an attempted block by N’Golo Kante and watched Diame drill a low, 20 yard narrowly wide of the near post.

In the 23rd minute, Matt Ritchie crossed from the right and Jacob Murphy prodded the ball goalwards, and as it looped up, Courtois could only parry it into the path of Dwight Gayle, who headed in from close range.

(Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

It was still only one at half-time, and no-one was quite sure how. Jonjo Shelvey shot narrowly wide immediately after the goal, Gayle was denied from 25 yards and in injury-time Ayoze Perez finished a sweeping move with a first-time shot that went close.

For ten minutes after the break Chelsea rallied, and then capitulated once more. There was a fine save from Martin Dubravka at full stretch to deny an Olivier Giroud flick, but then, just before the hour mark, Shelvey struck for goal and Perez cleverly diverted the ball into the Chelsea goal.

Defeat was confirmed then. Their support knew and slipped away into a bright Tyneside afternoon.

Dubravka excelled again with a superb save from the otherwise anonymous Ross Barkey and in the 63rd minute, Shelvey’s ball was met by Florian Lejeune at the far post and Perez clipped in a third.

There were repeated chants from those in the home support on a raucous afternoon calling for Rafa Benitez to stay.

It felt like another afternoon confirming their progress. For Chelsea, despite next week’s Cup final, there is less certainty.