Frank Lampard knows what it is like when teams come to Stamford Bridge with designs on escaping with a goalless draw. Chelsea’s manager faced plenty of them during his playing days, so it was satisfying for him to see his team keep their cool, trust in their football and find a way to shatter Newcastle United’s stout resistance.

Persistence was key to Chelsea earning their fifth consecutive victory in all competitions. This was a slog at times, a draining grind against negative opponents, but they would find a hole in the black-and-white wall with 17 minutes remaining.

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Lampard’s side kept plugging away and their reward arrived when Callum Hudson-Odoi, the best player on the pitch, summoned the poise to produce his fourth assist in as many games, teeing up Marcos Alonso to hammer home his first goal of the season and lift Chelsea into the top four.

“In the second half you saw a spirit and energy in the team,” Lampard said. “Today was tough, we had a bit of a problem and we solved it with the way we played in the second half. The players need to be brave. We’re not going to go long unless it’s an option needed to change things up. It could have been an option we needed later on today but we got our reward.”

This was not exactly a flowing performance from Chelsea, however, and they will need to be better when they visit Ajax in the Champions League on Wednesday. “In the first half we were a little bit safe and a little bit slow,” said Lampard. “We moved the ball side to side but not with enough urgency to take people out of the game.”

Still, this was another step in the right direction for his developing side. There were plenty of positives for Lampard and he was delighted that Christian Pulisic, who has struggled since his £58m move from Borussia Dortmund, played a part in Alonso’s goal after replacing Mason Mount in the second half.

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Newcastle, back in the bottom three a fortnight after beating Manchester United, could have done with a player of Pulisic’s quality. Steve Bruce’s side had their moments during the first half, especially when Allan Saint-Maximin was speeding clear on the break, but they were ineffective in the final third.

The threat faded once Joelinton had headed over midway through the opening period.

“The most important thing for us to work on is at the top end of the pitch,” Bruce said. “In the first half in particular we had one or two opportunities where we’ve misplaced a pass or not taken the right option. We can improve on that.”

Newcastle’s manager also felt the officials missed a foul on Joelinton in the buildup to the winning goal, but it was difficult to argue with the result. While Chelsea lacked balance in midfield without the injured N’Golo Kanté, they should have taken an early lead when Hudson-Odoi’s cross found Willian, who headed wide from close range.

Chelsea, who lost Ross Barkley to a twisted ankle, raised the tempo after half-time, pinning Newcastle back and almost breaking the deadlock when Tammy Abraham headed against the bar. Abraham glanced another effort just over and the home team’s frustration grew when Hudson-Odoi’s deflected shot squirmed through to Pulisic, whose scuffed shot failed to beat Martin Dubravka.

Yet the USA international refused to hide after that miss and when his cross reached Hudson-Odoi in the 73rd minute, the England international paused and spied Alonso hurtling into space to his left. The pass was weighted perfectly, allowing the left-back to fizz a low drive underneath Dubravka. Newcastle had finally cracked.