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Season 2023-24
Chelsea (h) Premier League

 

 
Date:
Saturday 25th November 2023, 3pm
(not on live UK TV)

Venue:
St. James' Park

Conditions: Spent (as in Chelsea spent boys....)

 



Newcastle

Chelsea

 

4 - 1

 

 

Teams

Goals

13 mins Anthony Gordon picked the ball up inside the area and cut inside before passing across the edge of the box to Joelinton whose mis-control went straight to Lewis Miley. The youngster took a touch before threading a superb ball to Aleksander Isak being played onside by Marc Cucarella. 

Isak controlled the ball and dispatched it past Robert Sanchez from ten yards out: celebrations by the East Stand centred on Miley as he received deserved congratulations for his sublime pass. 1-0


23 mins
Jamaal Lascelles took possession and ran with the ball inside the Chelsea half but was dispossessed and the Blues charged forward with Raheem Sterling leading the counter. Kieran Trippier caught him up and after the merest of touches Sterling went down as outside the area. 

Trippier was booked and from the free-kick Sterling lifted the ball over the wall - some 11 or 12 yards away judging by where referee Simon Hooper had drawn his line compared to the penalty spot - and past a static Nick Pope. The wall didn’t look great on the TV replays

Quite what beef the goalscorer had with the home crowd isn't clear, but he chose to celebrate the goal by dashing towards the Strawberry Corner - an antagonistic gesture which produced the inevitable unfavourable response and some residual booing for the remainder of the game. 1-1


Half time:
Newcastle 1 Chelsea 1

60 mins Gordon received the ball out wide left and came inside before he crossed the ball perfectly for Jamaal Lascelles to stoop and steer his header into the corner of the Gallowgate net. 2-1

61 min: Cole Palmer played the ball back to Thiago Silva and under some pressure from Joelinton, the Brazilian inexplicably scuffed the ball straight to his compatriot. Joelinton strode into the box and even he couldn’t miss from eight yards out as Sanchez remained rooted on his goal line. 3-1



83 mins Miguel Almiron clipped a measured pass forward for Anthony Gordon to run onto and he made his way into the left side of area before taking on Benoit Badiashile and stroking the ball into the far corner beyond the dive of Sanchez. 4-1


Full time: Newcastle 4 Chelsea 1

We Said

 

Eddie Howe said:


"It was a real statement of character within the squad. We really asked the players to step up, and we really deserved to win. Big positives from today. The leaders within the group set the tone - Jamaal Lascelles, Kieran Trippier, Matt Ritchie. They make sure we don't surrender. 

"If you are disjointed and go away from your principles, you will be in trouble. We try to be us.

"Yes, it gives extra satisfaction in the fact that the players showed how good they are. It's very easy in these moments for the players we have that are playing to feel a bit sorry for themselves and to look for excuses outside of their own performance, but we didn't allow that to creep into our mentality today and that's the biggest compliment I can give.

"With the schedule that we've had and the schedule we have coming up, we have to celebrate the players' performances after what they gave today in a very difficult moment, so full credit to everybody."

On Lewis Miley:

"I haven’t come across many 17-year-olds at his level, he is a very good athlete, strong, a good size.

"The biggest compliment I can give him is the pass for the first goal - an incredible decision, and he has the right temperament. A lot of young players would have wanted to shoot there. We have high hopes for him.

"For someone so young to come into the game he'll have felt a lot of emotion but he had the composure to pick out the right pass - a brilliant pass."


On Jamaal Lascelles:

"He's been incredible behind the scenes and you want to see that rewarded in the right way. He's been patient and is now performing really well. The goal was a massive moment in our season - Gordon's cross was pinpoint and the header was perfect."

On the three debutants:

"I don't tend to give debuts just because they're there - they've got to deserve it. The lads we put on the pitch today we like and have done well. When you get these situations it's an opportunity for someone to grab."

 

They Said

 

Mauricio Pochettino - who watched the game from the Directors Box - said:

"Even if Newcastle weren’t great, it was an easy win. It was so easy with the way we conceded, and we were so soft in every challenge. We didn’t show that we were playing for something important. That’s what makes me angry and disappointed.


"It wasn’t our best game, in fact I’d say that was probably our worst performance of the season. It was really tough to be in the stands today and not be able to influence things. 

"I think both teams weren’t at their best levels but we absolutely cannot complain about the result. We only scored one goal, while Newcastle were very ruthless with their chances and deserved to win We didn’t read the game from the beginning and we didn’t play the way that we should or in the way we expect. That’s very disappointing. We showed a lack of intensity today and that’s disappointing, especially when we had got ourselves back in the game with Raheem’s goal. 

"At 1-1, I think that was the moment for us to take control of the game, force them deep and put the pressure onto Newcastle. Unfortunately we didn’t do that, we didn’t have the intensity required and I think we made it too easy for Newcastle. 

"That is why I am so upset and frustrated with not only the result, but also the performance. That has to be much, much better because today was our worst performance of the season and that’s very disappointing.

"Recently we have been talking a lot about the need to become more consistent. We came into this game after the international break having played two good games against Tottenham and Manchester City and we spoke in the week about ensuring we maintain these levels.

"We are a young side with lots of areas to improve but the first thing to get right is the intensity levels. We are very sorry to everyone for this performance but now it is up to us to take the responsibility and make things right in the next game.

"We spoke in the dressing room after the game to reflect and we need to sleep on this one and get back to work as soon as possible. With a young team, sometimes you need a situation like today to happen for them to realise what is required. It’s one for us to learn from."

(Coach Jesus Perez took charge on the touchline)

Stats


Substitute bows for defender Alex Murphy, forward Michael Ndiweni and winger Amadou Diallo boosted the number of players to appear for Newcastle in the Premier League up to 265

Leeds-born Michael is the 108th Englishman to play for United in the PL and turns 20 next week. 19 year-old Galway native Alex is the eighth Irish-born player to represent us in the PL. 20 year-old Amadaou becomes the first Guinea-born player to appear for the Magpies.

Their introduction means that 29 players have featured in our 13 PL matches so far this season - compared to the 27 that were utilised across the entire 28 game 2022/23 campaign.

Alexander Isak
now shares the accolade of top PL goalscorer for United this season with Callum Wilson, both netting seven times. A seventeenth PL goal puts the Swede level with Yohan Cabaye.

Joelinton
opened his scoring account for the season with his sixteenth PL strike, taking him one ahead of Andy Carroll and keeping him one behind team mate Isak.

Jamaal Lascelles
netted his tenth PL goal for the Magpies a fraction over two years after the ninth, against Brentford at the other end of SJP.

Anthony Gordon
now has five PL goals this season, scoring in each of Newcastle's last three home games. He moves level in the club's PL scoring chart with team mate Sean Longstaff.

Raheem Sterling's free kick prevented Nick Pope from becoming the first Magpies goalkeeper to keep five successive home clean sheets in the Premier League. His sequence was broken after 383 minutes, the previous goal conceded from Nunez of Liverpool in second half added time.

A fifth successive PL home win is our best run of form at SJP since stringing together a sequence of six between February and April 2022.

18 points from their opening seven PL home games represents United's best return since they reached the same target in 2002/03 and is only exceeded by 1995/96's perfect tally of 21.

Six PL victories at SJP eclipses our worst return of five in a season (2008/09) and matches the number of home wins we managed in three other full campaigns (2010/11, 2019/20, 2020/21):

2008/09:
22 points from 19 matches (5 wins, 7 draws, 7 defeats, 24 goals scored)
2010/11:
26 points from 19 matches (6 wins, 8 draws, 5 defeats, 41 goals scored)
2019/20: 26 points from 19 matches (6 wins, 8 draws, 5 defeats, 20 goals scored)
2020/21:
23 points from 19 matches (6 wins, 5 draws, 8 defeats, 26 goals scored)
2023/24: 18 points from 7 matches (6 wins, 0 draws, 1 defeat, 18 goals scored)

The Magpies have now scored in each of their first seven PL home games, the first time they've managed that since the 2008/09 season.

Blues @ SJP - Premier League era:

2023/24 Won 4-1 Isak, Lascelles, Joelinton, Gordon
2022/23
Won 1-0 Willock
2021/22 Lost 0-3
2020/21 Lost 0-2
2019/20 Won 1-0 Hayden
2018/19 Lost 1-2 Joselu
2017/18 Won 3-0 Gayle, Perez 2
2015/16 Drew 2-2 Perez, Wijnaldum
2014/15 Won 2-1 Cisse 2
2013/14 Won 2-0 Gouffran, Remy
2012/13 Won 3-2 Gutierrez, Sissoko 2
2011/12 Lost 0-3
2010/11 Drew 1-1 Carroll
2008/09 Lost 0-2
2007/08 Lost 0-2
2006/07 Drew 0-0
2006/07 Lost 0-1 (LC)
2005/06 Won 1-0 Bramble
2004/05 Drew 1-1 og(Geremi)
2004/05 Won 1-0 Kluivert (FAC)
2004/05 Lost 0-2 (LC)
2003/04 Won 2-1 Ameobi, Shearer
2002/03 Won 2-1 og(Hasselbaink) Bernard
2001/02 Lost 1-2 Shearer
2000/01 Drew 0-0
1999/00 Lost 0-1
1998/99 Lost 0-1
1997/98 Won 3-1 Dabizas, Lee, Speed
1996/97 Won 3-1 Shearer 2, Asprilla
1995/96 Won 2-0 Ferdinand 2
1995/96 Drew 2-2 Albert, Beardsley (FAC) (2-4pens)
1994/95 Won 4-2 Cole 2, Fox, Lee
1993/94 Drew 0-0


Full record v Chelsea:

  P W D L F A
SJP 78 41 18 19 118 84
SB 77 11 20 46 76 149
League 155 52 38 65 194 233
SJP(FA) 5 1 1 3 5 9
SB 7 2 2 3 7 10
SJP(LC) 2 0 0 2 0 3
SB 3 1 0 2 5 6
Cup 17 4 3 10 17 28
SB(CS) 1 0 0 1 0 3
Tot 172 56 41 75 211 261

 

Waffle

Saturday saw Newcastle make the best possible start to a hectic sequence of ten games in 32 days, rendering an expensively-assembled Chelsea side powerless, pointless and ultimately depleted as they swept to victory.

Ahead early on through Alexander Isak, United were pegged back by Raheem Sterling's perfect free kick conversion and it was 1-1 at half time after Joelinton missed an easy header (although VAR would have spotted Bruno's shirt pull on Robert Sanchez) and Kieran Trippier's set piece attempt struck the goal frame minutes before the break. 

A 90 second period around the hour proved decisive; Anthony Gordon's cross from the left stylishly headed in by Jamaal Lascelles before Joelinton almost immediately caught the visiting defence out and blasted home following a catastrophic blunder by his Brazilian team mate Thiago Silva.

And after a petulant second yellow saw Reece James trudge off, the Magpies matched their largest win over Chelsea in the Premier League when Anthony Gordon took Miggy Almiron's pass and beat a dazed Robert Sanchez in the Gallowgate goal.

The West London side arrived on Tyneside in search of their fourth successive away win in the Premier League but left pointless and in some disarray.

Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino was serving a one match touchline suspension and his side were similarly lacking in discipline and leadership on the field.

Eddie Howe welcomed Bruno back from his ban but was without a trio of players from the loss at Bournemouth two weeks earlier; Lewis Hall ineligible against his parent club while Sean Longstaff and Joe Willock joined the injury list - the latter a concerning Achilles issue.

Returning to the side for the first time since limping off here against Borussia Dortmund was Isak and he took advantage of Lewis Miley's presence of mind to take his pass in the box and fire home after thirteen minutes. 

A change of footwear before the game restarted after an injury scare for Gordon then proved to be ill-fated for Lascelles, caught in possession deep in the Chelsea half and prompting a breakaway that ended when Trippier made the merest contact with Sterling outside the box.

Like Lascelles later in the game, the booking took him to four in the Premier League this season - one away from an automatic one game ban.

Sterling got up to flight in a free kick that gave Pope no chance and began the only passage of play in which the visitors looked dangerous: the United 'keeper blocking Enzo Fernandez's shot and then passing the ball to Conor Gallagher, who was thankfully so dumbstruck at the gift received that he couldn't hit the target.

A game that always looked winnable despite our lack of meaningful options on the bench went United's way on the hour thanks to a quick-fire brace - the visitors only then introducing a trio of substitutes who barely had time to find their positions before James walked after needlessly tripping up Gordon. The icing on the cake then came when the same player rounded off another excellent performance with a confident finish. 

Anyone randomly stumbling across this game could be forgiven for wondering just when it had been played and in what competition: Newcastle's bench including three goalkeepers and the final home line-up boasting Matt Ritchie, Paul Dummett and a trio of debutants from the U21s.

We may well reach Boxing Day on our knees and with bar staff from Shearers filling the bench, but for now we're three Premier League points better off than last season and with another notable scalp for our seasonal collection.

One game at a time.

Biffa


Page last updated 30 November, 2023