Newcastle United produced a disciplined performance to earn a well-deserved 1-0 win over Chelsea
Chelsea traveled to st James’ park looking to put an end to the recent poor run of results. The defeat to Manchester City in the EFL cup in midweek made it three domestic losses on the bounce and manager Graham Potter set out to avoid another loss.
There were some notable absentees on both sides. Chelsea were without Raheem Sterling who was suffering from an illness and Newcastle had to make do without leading Scorer Callum Wilson who was deemed not fit enough to start.
Cagey first half
The first half saw both sides struggle to create any real openings. The Blues in particular found it difficult to get some momentum, only managing to register one shot in the first half. Potter’s men were forced into an early substitution after Ruben Loftus-Cheek went off with a knock and was replaced by Thiago Silva.
Goal mouth action remained few and far between as both sides tried to unlock the other. The last act of the first half was a penalty appeal by Newcastle players after the ball hit Trevoh Chalobah on the arm but the Referee waved away the protests.
The second half began with Graham Potter attempting to rejuvenate his side by introducing Christian Pulisic for the ineffective Cesar Azpilicueta and moving Connor Gallagher to right wing back. The change had very little effect as the half went on.
Joe Willock’s moment
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As Chelsea looked somewhat out of ideas, Newcastle began to grow into the game even more. The midfield trio of Bruno Guimares, Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff imposed themselves on proceedings.
Sean Longstaff missed a glorious opportunity to put the Magpies ahead and they continued to push for the opener.
The Newcastle pressure eventually paid off midway through the second half. Miguel Almiron showed great resilience to beat Chelsea defender, Koulibaly to the ball before laying it off to Willock to slam it home with a wonderful first time finish.
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It was a finish of the highest quality and it left Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy with no chance.
Potter feeling the heat
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A disappointing performance for Chelsea that leaves them with more questions than answers. The Blues have been underwhelming in recent matches and seem to have no discernible style under the new manager. In many respects, this World Cup break couldn’t have come at a better time for Graham Potter.
As for Eddie Howe and Newcastle, this result means that they go into the World Cup break sitting comfortably third in the premier league table.
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