Chelsea visited St James’ Park and came away with a 2–2 draw against Newcastle in an entertaining match that kickstarted the festive fixtures in the Premier League. The Blues had to come back from two goals down to claim a point at a ground where they have not won a Premier League game since 2021.
How Newcastle Exposed Chelsea’s Flaws In The First Half
Newcastle were able to strangulate Chelsea’s effort in possession through a tough press down the middle of the park. The likes of Jacob Murphy, Tonali, Guimaraes, and Ramsey were able to choke Chelsea down the middle and also block the effects of Gusto inverting into midfield. This stopped Chelsea from progressing the ball with Moises Caicedo, which caused them to resolve to long balls, and it often led to The Blues losing possession in critical areas, and that directly led to Newcastle’s first goal.
Just like last season at St James’ Park, Chelsea started poorly. Eddie Howe’s men put the Blues under pressure centrally, and it worked. The Blues gave away an early chance to Nick Woltemade, but the German could not capitalize. However, moments later, Woltemade tapped in a loose ball after Robert Sanchez saved an effort from Antony Gordon and Trevoh Chalobah failed to clear the ball.
Antony Gordon and Woltemade also combined for Newcastle’s second goal as the Toons dominated Chelsea throughout the first half, restricting Chelsea to zero shots on target before the break.
Chelsea’s Response In The Second Half
Many say football is a game of two halves, and this game proved that point brilliantly. Chelsea came out for the second half with far more intensity and soon earned a free kick that Reece James converted.
From there, Chelsea began creating better chances and forcing blocks from the Newcastle backline.
Five minutes after the hour mark, Chelsea earned their reward for the improved second-half performance. Robert Sanchez played a long ball into Joao Pedro to set up a one-on-one against Malick Thiaw, and the former Brighton attacker got the better of Thiaw. Joao Pedro won possession, turned away from the Newcastle defender, and calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net to equalize for Chelsea.
Newcastle created a few chances to regain the lead, and Chelsea also had opportunities. However, Alejandro Garnacho wasted most of Chelsea’s chances, managing to keep only one of his five shots on target.
Chelsea completed a brilliant comeback, but losing leads is becoming a recurring issue for Eddie Howe’s team. He will no doubt look to address that problem heading into the congested festive and January period in the Premier League.
