Chelsea's rise was halted by a 1-4 defeat to hosts Newcastle in round 13 of the Premier League.
Chelsea have continued their inconsistent run in the Premier League, taking points from title contenders but losing to mid-table opponents. This has happened to them in their last five games, with wins against Tottenham, draws with Arsenal and Man City, and losses to Brentford and Newcastle.
Centre-back Jamal Lascelles heads the ball to make it 2-1 for Newcastle against Chelsea at St James Park, Tyne and Wear, in the 13th round of the Premier League on November 25, 2023. Photo: Reuters
Mauricio Pochettino's team collapsed within a minute of the second half, when the home team scored two goals in a row. In the 60th minute, midfielder Anthony Gordon crossed the ball from the left for center-back Jamal Lascelles to head from about 6 meters away. With no one to mark him, the Newcastle captain comfortably sent the ball to the far corner, leaving goalkeeper Robert Sanchez rooted to the spot as he watched the ball go into the net.
The game could have gone differently if referee Simon Hooper had been more heavy-handed with Joelinton's foul on Reece James late in the first half. After losing possession, the Brazilian midfielder ran up from behind and struck the visiting defender in the face with his arm. Hooper simply showed Joelinton a yellow card, and VAR did not intervene. The incident was somewhat similar to Bruno Guimaraes' foul on Jorginho when Newcastle beat Arsenal 1-0 on 5 November.
Joelinton celebrates scoring to make it 3-1 for Newcastle against Chelsea. Photo: Reuters
Having to play with one less man and trailing by two goals, Chelsea gave up. They conceded the fourth goal in the 83rd minute, after Miguel Almiron passed the ball to Gordon who rushed down the left side of the penalty area. After a move to his right foot, the 22-year-old midfielder fired low into the far corner, giving Sanchez no chance to block.
The scoreline was unexpected, as the two teams played evenly in the first half. Newcastle opened the scoring after 17-year-old midfielder Lewis Miley passed three Chelsea players, leaving striker Alexander Isak one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The Swedish international easily fired into the far corner of the net. Chelsea equalised just 10 minutes later, with Raheem Sterling's free-kick from the left corner. He sent the ball over the wall and into the top corner, catching Nick Pope off guard.
Chelsea only had one shot in the second half, while Newcastle scored three. The defeat puts Pochettino's side in danger of falling back into the bottom half of the table. They face two tough opponents in a row, Brighton on December 3, and Man Utd three days later.
Hoang An
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