This Sunday, Chelsea hosted Newcastle for the ninth round of the Premier League. In a highly entertaining match that kept the suspense alive until the very last seconds, it was the London club that secured all three points at the expense of the Magpies. However, Newcastle will soon have a chance for revenge when they welcome Chelsea to St James’ Park for their Carabao Cup clash.
Plenty of Action Right from the Start
Both Enzo Maresca and Eddie Howe advocate an attacking style of football, and that was evident in the first half. Just four minutes into the game, Cole Palmer, played through by Nicolas Jackson, thought he had opened the scoring with a clinical low strike. However, VAR intervened and ruled him offside by the narrowest of margins.
Despite this early setback, the Blues remained undeterred and found the breakthrough a quarter of an hour later. After winning the ball at the back, Chelsea launched a swift counterattack. Cole Palmer, showcasing his vision, delivered a brilliant through ball to Pedro Neto, who used his blistering pace to get past Fabian Schär before cutting it back for Nicolas Jackson, who had the simple task of finishing into an empty net.
Newcastle, however, responded before halftime. Around the 30th minute, Tino Livramento carried the ball forward before setting up Lewis Hall, who delivered a perfect cross for Alexander Isak to convert.
Cole Palmer on the Scoresheet Again
Eight games, six goals, and five assists those were Palmer’s stats heading into the weekend. He now has another goal to his name. Less than two minutes after the restart, a poor first touch from Isak led to a high press from Roméo Lavia. The Chelsea midfielder regained possession before driving towards the edge of Newcastle’s box and unleashing a powerful shot that crashed in off the inside of the right post, restoring the Blues’ lead.
The game could have been put to bed ten minutes later when Noni Madueke’s cross found Pedro Neto, but the winger’s header smacked against the post, keeping Newcastle’s hopes alive.
A Tense Finale
The final 15 minutes felt like an eternity for Chelsea fans as their team dropped deeper, absorbing increasing pressure from the Magpies. In stoppage time, a quick counterattack saw Christopher Nkunku go down in the box under a challenge from Dan Burn, seemingly winning a penalty for Chelsea. However, after a VAR review, referee Simon Hooper judged that the contact was too minimal to warrant a spot-kick.
Newcastle came agonizingly close to equalizing in the dying moments, but Reece James produced a goal-line clearance to deny them. The ensuing corner was poorly taken, allowing the referee to blow the final whistle.
After a fiercely contested match, Enzo Maresca’s side climbs to fifth place, just one point behind third-placed Arsenal, continuing their strong start to the season. In contrast, Newcastle remains stuck in 12th, now enduring a five-game winless streak in the Premier League.
