Newcastle United have frustrated Jose Mourinho's Chelsea as the sides go into the half-time break with the score at 0-0.
John Terry crashed an 11th-minute header against the crossbar and Branislav Ivanovic's overhead kick from the rebound was deflected over.
Juan Mata saw his appeal for a penalty turned down by Lee Mason after a clumsy tackle by Mathieu Debuchy.
Chelsea continued to cause problems from set pieces and Terry went close once again with a diving header in the 36th minute, but Davide Santon was alert to clear to smash the ball clear.
From the counter-attack, Moussa Sissoko struck a low shot towards the near post, but Petr Cech got down well to smother the ball.
The French midfielder entered the book just five minutes later for a rash challenge on Ivanovic as the home side's frustrations continued to grow.
