Chelsea 3 Newcastle 2
Mauricio Pochettino’s side went into this game, hoping to find some form to take into their FA Cup quarter-final at the weekend. The same could be said of Newcastle, with both managers knowing it was their only hope of silverware this season.
This season has been a real reality-check for Magpies’ fans after the heady heights of the previous campaign. While Eddie Howe will continue to tell you that if it wasn’t for their bad luck with injuries, don’t be taken in by this as this is just modern football. It could be said of most teams.
Newcastle’s defence last season looked solid, this time around it looks like it’s made of papier-mâché. A poor clearance to the edge of the box saw Palmer have a shot at goal but his effort seemed to be going wide. A clever flick from Jackson diverted the ball into the bottom corner to open the scoring.
Neither side really found a foothold in the game and struggled with any sort of creativity. It mattered less to Chelsea as they had already got their lead. Out of nothing, the ball was played to Isak who got a shot off from the edge of the box, superbly bending it into the bottom corner.
Credit: @NUFC
It silenced Stamford Bridge as it was really the visitors first shot at goal of the game. It underpinned that in this league, a one-goal lead leaves you pretty vulnerable, despite how much you may be dominating in a game.
The Magpies started the second half in positive fashion as they continued to pressure the hosts’ goal. Isak played the ball to Almiron who got a thunderous shot off from a tight angle. Fortunately for The Blues, Petrovic was able to palm it over the crossbar.
Just as things seemed to be on the upturn for Eddie Howe, his side showed their weak underbelly once again. As the ball was played to Palmer outside the box, they just stood off him until he felt obliged to have a shot at goal, which nestled into the bottom corner. Stamford Bridge erupted.
Chelsea then looked to go for the jugular as Jackson played Sterling in. Well, we assume it’s Raheem Sterling by the name on the back of the shirt and he looks quite like him. Other than that, he seems nothing like the player that plied his trade at Man City.
As he found himself one on one with Dubravka, he tried to round the keeper and got a shot off which was well controlled by Burn on the line and he showed some composure to bring the ball clear. Sterling must really infuriate the Chelsea faithful.
Jackson did well out wide before playing the ball towards Palmer in the middle of the park. Mudryk took the ball off him, ghosted past the visitors’ defence, before rounding the keeper to slot the ball home. It was a brilliant bit of play from the Ukrainian.
Credit: @ChelseaFC
It seemed as though that goal had put the game to bed and ensured that Pochettino’s side would be leaving the ground with all three points. That was until the closing moments of the game. Newcastle continued to huff and puff but didn’t look like blowing anyone’s house down.
Murphy received the ball outside the box and made a beeline for the penalty area. Suddenly he unleashed a shot from nowhere that arrowed its way into the top corner of the goal. Usually with a near post effort like this, you would say the keeper should have saved that. Not this time.
It all proved a little too late for the visitors as Chelsea held on for the win for them to close the gap on the sides above them. For Newcastle, all their hopes on salvaging something from this season rely on them beating Man City in the FA Cup, not an easy task for any side right now.
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