Moussa Sissoko scored twice on his home debut, including a last-minute winner, as Newcastle United caused an upset on Demba Ba's return to St James' Park with Chelsea.
Ba's afternoon couldn't have gone much worse as he left the action just before half time after suffering a broken nose from Fabricio Coloccini's boot to the face.
Newcastle went in ahead at the break thanks to Jonas Gutierrez's header but the Argentine's goal was cancelled out by two Chelsea wonderstrikes in quick succession from Frank Lampard and Juan Mata.
Sissoko scored his first just five minutes after Mata had put Chelsea in control before winning the game with a crisp finish from 18 yards on the 90-minute mark.
Here, Sports Mole tries to make sense of a enthralling Premier League encounter.
Match statistics:
Newcastle:
Shots 19
On target 13
Possession 42%
Corners 5
Fouls 11
Chelsea:
Shots 12
On target 6
Possession 58%
Corners 4
Fouls 5
Was the result fair?
Chelsea had their spells of dominance, especially in the 15-minute period after half time when they got their two goals, but all-in-all it was a deserved three points for Newcastle.
Newcastle's performance
For a side that had only beaten Chelsea once in 11 attempts, the Magpies were, for the most part, fantastic today. Alan Pardew has been able to call upon a fully-fit back four in the last two games and the only goals they conceded today were truly unstoppable. This has aided their cause and with the likes of Sissoko adapting to Premier League life in no time at all, you'd have to say their relegation fears seem to be just about extinguished.
Chelsea's performance
The Blues weren't helped by Ba's exit before the half-time whistle and Fernando Torres did little to show Benitez that he deserves a starting berth. Chelsea have struggled to keep teams out of late - they've now conceded seven in their last three - and if Benitez can't shore up the defence then the teams below will be challenging them for third spot in the league.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Moussa Sissoko: It could only go to one man for his match-winning performance. Newcastle's new number seven made a big impression in the win at Villa on Tuesday and simply got better today. He's an absolute powerhouse and a true box-to-box midfielder. His first goal was a simple tap-in but he showed great energy to keep up with Yoan Gouffran and collect the loose ball. The winner on 90 minutes was a fabulous strike, not quite in the class of Lampard and Mata, but a fizzing low effort that Petr Cech stood no chance of stopping.
Biggest gaffe
It seems a long time ago now, but Papiss Cisse squandered a simple one-on-one in the first half that seemed easier to score than miss.
Referee performance
Howard Webb kept on top of what was a feisty game on Tyneside. However, Benitez has now criticised him for not awarding a penalty when Ba was kicked on the nose. You have to feel that the Spaniard has a point because a high foot like that anywhere else on the pitch would have surely warranted a free kick. If Webb had blown up for a penalty, then Coloccini would have also seen red for being the last man.
What next?
Newcastle: The Magpies face a tough trip to Spurs in a week's time but they'll be confident of continuing this run of wins after today's performance.
Chelsea: Next up for Chelsea is a home game against Wigan back at Stamford Brige, also next Saturday.
