A goal at the start and another at the end helped Newcastle United to an important 2-0 win over Chelsea in the Premier League, boosting their chances of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League. It was also Newcastle’s sixth league win in a row at St James’ Park.
Newcastle came into the match ahead of Chelsea only on goals scored, but it took just two minutes to take the lead. Sandro Tonali scored with a first-time shot from Jacob Murphy’s cross that bounced over Chelsea keeper Robert Sánchez. Newcastle kept up the pressure in the first 15 minutes, barely letting Chelsea out of their own half. Harvey Barnes and Murphy had efforts blocked, and Bruno Guimarães volleyed wide.
Alexander Isak then miskicked a chance that Sánchez saved, before Cole Palmer had Chelsea’s first shots of the game in the 21st minute – both blocked. Chelsea started to get into the game, with Moisés Caicedo firing just wide, but things went badly wrong in the 36th minute. Nicolas Jackson, who had been shown a yellow card, was sent off after a VAR check for elbowing Sven Botman, ruling him out for the rest of the league season. Dan Burn and Trevoh Chalobah then made key blocks at both ends before half-time.
The second half was open, but chances were limited. Isak volleyed over from a corner, and when Chelsea finally tested Nick Pope, the Newcastle keeper saved well from Marc Cucurella. Chelsea still looked dangerous, and the home crowd grew tense as Guimarães and Barnes missed chances to double the lead.
Pope made another great save from Enzo Fernández, and Reece James headed over. Finally, Guimarães sealed the win with a deflected shot that looped over Sánchez after hitting Malo Gusto’s foot. The result took Newcastle up to third in the table, keeping them unbeaten in three matches and seriously boosting their Champions League hopes. It also ended Chelsea’s five-match winning run in all competitions. If Nottingham Forest beat Leicester, Chelsea could drop out of the top five.
