Heading into Sunday's clash at St James' Park, both Chelsea and Newcastle United found themselves locked on 63 points in the Premier League.
But, come the full-time whistle, the gulf in class between the two Champions League chasing outfits was obvious, with both Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes sharing out the goal-load to hand Eddie Howe's Toon a richly deserved 2-0 win.
Nicolas-Jackson-1
Of course, the Magpies' quest for a golden three points was undoubtedly helped by Nicolas Jackson receiving a red card deep into the first half, with the ex-Villarreal striker enduring yet another torrid afternoon leading the line for Enzo Maresca's men.
Jackson's horror show on the road
The 23-year-old does have somewhat of a healthy goal return next to his name this season at 12 strikes overall, but all the main talking points from the clash on Tyneside would centre on his dismissal, away from his hot-and-cold ability to find the net.
Indeed, after planting an elbow into the face of Newcastle defender Sven Botman, the inconsistent Blues attacker would be sent off, meaning he is now suspended until the end of the Premier League season.
There was still 65 minutes of the match left after Jackson's moment of madness, but the damage had already been done on Chelsea's end, meaning Newcastle eventually strolled to a 2-0 victory to gain an upper hand to finish inside the coveted top five.
Jackson didn't even test Nick Pope with a single effort on goal before clashing with the Magpies centre-back, with Maresca now tasked with deciding who to start up top now in the remaining top-flight contests to come ahead of the suspended striker.
Nicolas-Jackson-2
Other Chelsea first-teamers could also feel the wrath of the manager's team selection moving forward, with this fellow underperformer in attack only lasting ten more minutes than Jackson before being hooked.
Chelsea's other big underperformer
Nobody wearing Chelsea blue would come away from the 2-0 defeat with much praise, with Romeo Lavia another who looked out-of-sorts in the midfield department, especially when his casual nature on the ball centrally led to Tonali's speedy opener.
But, Lavia would at least see out 75 minutes on the St James' turf, with Noni Madueke half a tactical substitution due to Chelsea being reduced to ten men, and half an alteration made purely out of his ineffectiveness in attack when he lasted just 45 minutes.
Madueke's performance in numbers
Stat
Minutes played
Touches
Accurate passes
Shots
Successful dribbles
Dribbled past
Total duels won
Stats by Sofascore
At times, Madueke was merely a spectator to the constant waves of Newcastle attacks, with the 23-year-old dribbled past more times than he could conjure up successful dribbles himself.
Moreover, the ex-PSV Eindhoven winger could trudge off the pitch at the half-time interval and not return off the back of failing to register a single effort on the home side's goal, alongside failing to win a single duel from four attempts. In stark contrast, even as Newcastle bossed proceedings, Jacob Murphy would win four duels as a committed warrior for Howe's hosts.
Noni Madueke for Chelsea
It could well be time for Maresca to experiment with something fresh down the left channel, therefore, with 19-year-old sensation Tyrique George capable of playing down that flank, alongside an equally hit-and-miss Jadon Sancho.
The Italian will just pray that any changes he does makes to his XI pays off, with the Blues now slipping down the league, whilst Newcastle bask in the glory of third position.
Whenever Chelsea seem to be settling into their groove, another bump seemingly appears in the road, with just two Premier League games now left for the Blues to make any European dreams come true.
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