Chelsea were unable to go 2 points behind Aston Villa for the time being after they drew 2-2 against Newcastle United at St James Park.
Enzo Maresca’s side failed to weather the Newcastle storm during the opening 20 minutes. The Blues faced a heavy amount of pressure, as the hosts started the game like a bat out of hell.
**Wesley Fofana**’s sloppy mistake led to the home side breaking the deadlock in the fourth minute, courtesy of Nick Woltemade.
After that period, the Magpies got a foothold of the game; they were in the ascendancy and put the visitors under the cosh.
They were once again awarded for their efforts when the German international scored his second goal of the match just 16 minutes later. Chelsea were not in the game during the opening 45 minutes; Newcastle dominated all phases of the match.
However, Enzo Maresca’s side flipped the switch in the second half by showing character and a fighting spirit. Reece James’s magnificent free kick and Joao Pedro’s brilliant individual goal saw the Blues find themselves back in the game.
Both teams had plenty of clear-cut chances to score the deciding goal and pick up all three points. However, wasteful finishing in front of the goal saw both sides come away with only a point.
Alejandro Garnacho was unable to make his mark in the game and was not clinical in front of goal
The former Manchester United winger was up against Lewis Miley. The latter was playing out of position because he is not a natural right back.
This was a guilt-edge opportunity for Chelsea’s recent signing to make his mark in the game and showcase his qualities. It was a chance for him to build even more momentum after scoring two goals against Cardiff four days ago.
However, the winger completed only 1 out of his three attempted dribbles; he had 5 shots, 4 of which were from inside the box, with only 1 of them being on target.
On top of this, he ran the ball out of play two times during the match when his side were in brilliant positions to test Aaron Ramsdale.
The 21-year-old had so many opportunities and a lot of space down Chelsea’s left-hand side to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and also win his side the match.
Unlike in the game against Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup quarter-final, this time around, the left winger did not have his shooting boots on.
Chelsea’s wingers, particularly the two on the left side, have not played at a high level on a consistent basis.
This game was another example of that. Garnacho’s all-around performance left a lot to be desired, and the next step for him is to be consistent both in regards to his performances and his finishing.
The Stamford Bridge outfit has to do a much better job of weathering the storm when they play in hostile grounds
The Blues struggled to stay disciplined and focused during the opening 45 minutes of the match. In this type of game against a physical side away from home, Chelsea have to keep the opposing team at bay for the opening 15-20 minutes, before earning the right to play.
However, a lack of focus and making huge errors time after time meant that the Blues were chasing the game.
The same scenario happened against Leeds. It seemed like a tall task for the Blues come back into the match when they made mistakes and shot themselves in the foot.
It is important to acknowledge that this Chelsea side is the youngest in the Premier League, so there will be moments where they will start games on the back foot, and this was another example of that.
However, the challenge for Enzo Maresca and his coaching staff is to find a way to get their side to play at a much higher level in the first half. Against Leeds, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Brentford and other matches away from home, the Blues have found themselves behind at halftime.
That is not sustainable or acceptable if Chelsea want to make steps in the right direction this season and progress as a team. The West London club has to do a much better job of being switched on in the first period, otherwise they will give themselves a mountain to climb if they want to come out victorious in tricky games away from home.
The Blues were very open and vulnerable defensively throughout the course of the match
Enzo Maresca’s side was unable to limit Newcastle’s attack. A big part of why the visitors gave up a lot of clear-cut chances was that the hosts found a lot of gaps to exploit in the middle of the park.
Chelsea were not compact, and the players were so far away from each other. Anthony Gordon, for instance, had plenty of space down Chelsea’s right side.
In the first half in particular, Newcastle’s winger created havoc and was a nuisance to deal with. To add more salt to the wounds, Chelsea’s centre-backs Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah weren’t just poor in possession; they also struggled to deal with Woltedemade.
Newcastle had 5 shots on target, they created 7 big chances, and their expected goals was 2.26 compared to Chelsea’s 1.26.
The home side looked like scoring the majority of the time that they went forward. The Blues were unable to match their intensity, urgency and physicality, especially in the fist period .
This was a recipe for disaster because the visitors made their job a lot more difficult for themselves by being all over the place defensively.
Although, Chelsea have kept 8 clean sheets in 17 matches in the Premier League thus far, this match showed exactly why Enzo Maresca was desperate to get a centre back in the 2025 summer transfer window.
The Blues showed a lot of character, grit and fight in the second half
The biggest positive that Chelsea can take away from this game is that they were able to bounce back from adversity. A lot of questions have been asked about whether or not Chelsea can respond when their backs are against the wall.
On numerous occasions this season, that has not been the case. However, during this contest, instead of throwing the white flag, the Blues threw the kitchen sink in the second half and put Newcastle under the cosh.
There was a night and day difference between how visitors played in the first half compared to the second. The players did the basics at a much higher level and executed Maresca’s tactics to a tee. Throughout the course of the season, it is crystal clear to see that Chelsea is a second-half team a large portion of the time.
They stepped up their intensity, urgency and started winning most of the first and second balls. A tactical change that the 45-year-old manager made was that he allowed his side to be more direct rather than consistently playing out from the back. In the first half, Newcastle were pressing very high up the pitch, and Chelsea kept giving the ball away near their own box.
Joao Pedro’s goal came from Robert Sanchez being more direct and finding the striker with a magnificent inch-perfect pass.
Now the objective for the Blues is to play as they did in the second half throughout the whole match, and to start difficult fixtures away from home like this one with more intensity and discipline.