A first Newcastle victory at Stamford Bridge since 2012, Anthony Gordon their match-winner against the club he was close to joining in 2022. He ran Chelsea ragged all evening. In the stands, Todd Boehly, the co-owner who, when acting as de facto sporting director, targeted Gordon.
“I thought he was magnificent today,” the Newcastle head coach, Eddie Howe, said. “He’s so single-minded and focused on what he wants to do.” Four years on, there may be regret that deal never happened for Chelsea, though there are deeper doubts to consider, including the current team’s stall under Liam Rosenior.
Newcastle supplied the knowhow and organisation, Sven Botman was outstanding in leading a defensive effort that sapped Chelsea’s and their supporters’ collective belief. Full-time was followed by a fierce barracking of players and manager. A blame game is being played at Stamford Bridge. How much has been spent now? The answer is closing on £1.5bn over the Boehly years.
Kick-off was preceded by the hallucinatory vision of the referee, Paul Tierney, caught in a Chelsea huddle in the centre circle, Cole Palmer cuddling up to the Greater Manchester official. “I was nonplussed,” said Howe. “I don’t pay any attention to things like that.”
“I’m disappointed there’s more focus and emphasis on the things that don’t matter,” said Rosenior. “That was a decision between a leadership group and a team. There is nothing that they’re doing with that huddle that is disrespectful to the opposition.”
With Barcelona in mind, Howe made six changes. The absence of Filip Jörgensen from Chelsea’s squad after an ill-starred selection in Paris raised eyebrows, a groin problem the official reason. With a 5-2 deficit to make up on PSG, Rosenior appeared to be prioritising the battle to return to next season’s Champions League over midweek but to no avail.
The away fans rose in raptures as Gordon tapped into an empty net. Joe Willock had sprung the offside trap from a Tino Livramento pass straight through the gate. Another lapse of concentration in a Chelsea season full of them. To place in Rosenior’s terms, Trevoh Chalobah had missed his assignment. “There’s a tactical issue,” the Chelsea head coach said. “It’s a new way of pressing. We don’t step on the press and then we don’t cover in the position that we should have done. Mistakes happen. They had nothing in the game and we gave them a goal.”
Bookings for Wesley Fofana and Moisés Caicedo and a horribly miscued pass from the latter furthered the thread of Chelsea raggedness as Rosenior made copious notes. Home fans had thoughts of their own to share, boos ringing out as half-time arrived. Liam Delap’s introduction almost paid instant dividends but Aaron Ramsdale saved well from a striker searching for only his second league goal of the season. Newcastle, meanwhile, continued to threaten with the speed of their transitions, Gordon’s perpetual motion unsettling Chelsea defenders pulled from positional comfort zones. Jacob Ramsey in midfield played perhaps his best game yet for the club he joined last summer. Howe said: “The players who came in really stepped up.”
João Pedro’s first sight of goal came on the hour, a half-chance miscued. Soon after, Caicedo was replaced by Roméo Lavia and smashed his seat in frustration. Palmer’s attempt to buy a penalty from Nick Woltemade’s challenge was an act of desperation. “If Paul had more focus on his job we would have had a penalty today,” said Rosenior, harking back to the huddle farrago. He might wish to watch that back again.
Gordon’s shot forced a decent Robert Sánchez save as Newcastle, Joelinton’s muscle having replaced Woltemade in midfield – sensed a second goal was available. With Palmer forced ever deeper as the minutes ticked down, it proved unnecessary. Delap shanked a decent chance wide, João Pedro headed over but these were chances accepted without conviction. “We lacked a little bit of mental freshness in the final third,” said Rosenior.
Reece James’s added-time free-kick spun off a post but Newcastle held on in comfort to enjoy a raucous dressing-room celebration. Their Stamford Bridge drought is over while Chelsea’s problems are in danger of snowballing.
