**Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said two “world class” saves by keeper Nick Pope were the key factor in his side holding on to beat 10-man Chelsea at St James’ Park.**
The Blues trailed to Sandro Tonali’s second-minute goal and then had Nicolas Jackson sent off for a stupid challenge on Sven Botman, which saw the striker lead with his elbow on the Newcastle defender.
But Chelsea bossed the second half, with Pope pulling off two stunning saves to deny Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez, before Bruno Guimaraes sealed the Magpies’ win with a deflected strike in the final minute.
“You can see the quality and level of their players,” Howe said after the 2-0 win which took Newcastle up to third in the Premier League table.
“Moises Caicedo was magnificent at right-back and when he moved into midfield, and Reece James made a difference when he came on; he’s a quality player.
“They had nothing to lose and we had everything to lose. As much as we wanted to score we lost control in the second half, but we defended well and Nick made two world class saves.”
Howe added that Jackson’s dismissal was a fair decision.
“My gut reaction was that it was a sending off,” he said.
“Jackson was looking at the man not the ball and that always puts you in a vulnerable position.
“It’s a massive win – we knew the importance of it but it’s still very tight. We have two games to keep our focus. The pressure on us was huge.”