Joao Pedro’s well-taken finish against Newcastle saved Chelsea’s skin, and it was all because of a brilliant half-time shout.
Some might say Chelsea were lucky to come away from St James’ Park with a win, but their response to a dreadful first half was quite admirable.
Reece James mounted the comeback on Newcastle with Chelsea’s first goal from a direct free-kick.
That swung the momentum in favour of the Blues, before Pedro slotted home from close range to salvage a point for Enzo Maresca. And that goal was a direct result of one conversation.
A difficult afternoon, but resilience shown by Chelsea 🙌
Who was your Player of the Match?
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Joao Pedro told Robert Sanchez to play him through
The atmosphere inside the Chelsea dressing room at the interval was likely not a pleasant one.
They were played off the park in the first half and were frankly lucky to be trailing by just two goals.
Whether it was Maresca, James or another leadership figure, someone said the right things to get the players believing. But a private chat between Pedro and Robert Sanchez was even more pivotal.
The equaliser from Joao Pedro 🤩
Robert Sanchez understood the assignment 💪
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After the game, Pedro told BBC Sport exactly what he said to his keeper: “I told him [Robert Sanchez] at half-time to play this ball to me. I controlled the ball in front, and I scored a brilliant goal.”
It’s always interesting to get an insight into how the players prepare for moments like Pedro’s at St James’ Park.
On the game itself, he remarked: “It was different. I need to learn how to play this kind of game because you cannot draw this sort of game in the Premier League.”
A draw against Newcastle isn’t the worst result — the shame is that Chelsea could have got so much more if they had just showed up at the first whistle.
Newcastle United v Chelsea - Premier League
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Ally McCoist speaks for all neutrals with claim about Chelsea vs Newcastle
While many Chelsea fans will have been pulling their hair out after the start they made, the game turned out to be a highly enthralling Premier League battle.
As Ally McCoist says after the whistle: “Might just be the best game I’ve seen this season. Newcastle in the first half, I can’t tell you how good they were.
“You have to give Chelsea credit [for the comeback]. I’m buzzing with the game of football we’ve watched.”
We don’t want that kind of game every week, but after preventing what would have been a sickening loss, Chelsea can come away with their heads held high — well, most of them.
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