27 October 2024
Chelsea 2 Newcastle 1
The Blues welcomed Eddie Howe’s Magpies to Stamford Bridge, looking to take advantage of fixtures and close the gap to the teams at the top. The visitors knew that a game of this magnitude offered them a real chance to make a statement about their own top four credentials. Their faltering start to the season had left their fans a little underwhelmed so far.
Maresca’s side started well and were causing the visitors issues in the middle of the park. In-form Jackson was coming deep looking for the ball and finding it easy to beat the challenges to open play up. He found Madueke out wide, who cut inside onto his favoured left-foot, getting a shot off at goal but it was too close to Pope to trouble him.
Chelsea thought they had taken the lead when Jackson set Palmer away. He held off Hall and drilled the ball into the far corner as Stamford Bridge erupted. The celebrations were short-lived as it was adjudged that The Blues’ attacker had just started his run a little early and had strayed offside. Big let off for Newcastle, a warning however that they needed to be tighter defensively.
The Magpies then looked to exert some pressure themselves. As the move broke down, the hosts showed some great transition from defence to attack. It resulted in Neto running clear down the left, beating his marker in the process. He squared it into the box to find Jackson in space and the striker slotted past Pope to finally open the scoring.
Eddie Howe’s Magpies have built their team on a solidity in defence. This season however, it has been distinctly lacking. Sides are finding it all too easy to open them up with ease. It makes things difficult for Newcastle as it is preventing them from imposing themselves as an attacking force on their opponents all too often.
The hosts were playing with confidence and asking some real questions of The Magpies’ defence. Neto was the next player to get a shot away from the edge of the box but his effort was straight at Pope and he made an easy gather. It was starting to look like it was going to be a long afternoon in West London for this ragged Newcastle defence.
While many are seeing the season so far as proof that Maresca is turning this Chelsea team around, they still look like a bunch of lads who have just met for the first time before kick-off in defence. Despite spending more money than the US defence budget, they still look a long way off being a tight defensive unit. It is more like a fortress that someone has left the back door wide open in.
Newcastle had a couple of chances to test Sanchez in the Chelsea goal but all too often they were snatching at shots and The Blues were able to get blocks in. Finally, Almiron checked onto his left foot in the box and got an effort away but the Chelsea keeper guessed right in covering the far post and gathered the ball at the second time of asking.
It gave the visitors a new lease of life and plenty of confidence. They were able to pass the ball about and play through the Chelsea press. Hall got down the left and with Sanchez at the near post, picked out Isak in the middle of the goal for a simple tap home. It silenced the home faithful and the travelling fans could be heard celebrating their equaliser.
The Blues tried to find an immediate reply. Neto had switched flanks and cut inside onto his left foot with just one thing on his mind. His shot took a huge deflection on the way through and almost wrong-footed Pope. Fortunately for the visitors, he managed to adjust himself and claw the ball away with a good one-handed save.
Into the second-half and the visitors gave the ball away needlessly in the middle of the park. Chelsea broke with pace as Palmer saw all the players in Newcastle shirts back off him. You cannot afford to do that with The Blues’ playmaker and he drilled a shot past Pope at the near post to give Maresca’s side the lead once again.
Chelsea continued to probe and Madueke put a cross deep into the box. Neto met it with a header, only to see his effort come back off the post. It summed up Newcastle’s defending as one of the smallest players on the pitch won the ball in the air. Eddie Howe really needs to do something about this lacklustre defending.
Maresca’s side had a massive chance to put the game to bed as Palmer laid the ball off to Mudryk in the box. The Ukrainian struggled to adjust his feet and his shot was straight at Pope who managed to block the effort. The Blues managed to hold on for the three points but Newcastle will be left wondering what could have been.
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