Newcastle United players and fans won’t want to hear this from former target Joao Pedro, but the Chelsea man just hit the nail on the head as to where the Magpies went wrong.
It was truly a game of two halves on Saturday afternoon at St. James’ Park, as Newcastle stormed into a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.
However, minutes into the second half, Chelsea were level and absolutely in control of the game. It’s yet another case of Eddie Howe and his players throwing away a winning position and valuable points, but where does the blame lie for this issue?
Who was Newcastle United’s MOTM against Chelsea?!
Strange to say there are a few choices given the result!
Anthony Gordon talks to Nick Woltemade during Newcastle United vs Chelsea in the Premier League.
Photo by George Wood/Getty Images
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The mentality and intensity of the Newcastle players is clearly not right. The supporters can see it, and their opponents definitely can; so much so that they are able to purposefully capitalise on this weakness now.
Joao Pedro celebrates scoring for Chelsea against Newcastle United.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
What Joao Pedro said about Newcastle vs Chelsea
Speaking to the Chelsea website after the draw, Pedro explained what his team did right and how it helped to turn the tide of the match in their favour.
He said: “I think we could have started better in the first half, but in the second half we showed our character, and we tried to get the three points.
“In the first half we started a little bit slowly, and in this type of game you need to win more second balls and in the second half that’s what we did. It helped us to create more when you start to win these balls. We started quicker and with more power, and that’s why we scored.”
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That intensity and desire just wasn’t there for Newcastle, at least not after the break. We saw the same issue arise against Sunderland, where the Black Cats players simply wanted it more than the Magpies. That is something that needs to change immediately.
Why, oh why, do Newcastle keep dropping points?! 👀
A graphic showing the full-time scoreline (2-2) between Newcastle United and Chelsea in the Premier League on 19/12/2025.
Credit: Getty Images/George Wood
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Should Newcastle regret not signing Joao Pedro?
As we know, Newcastle wanted to sign Joao Pedro in the summer. They missed out as Pedro rejected Newcastle for the Blues, and he’s gone on to prove himself there already this season.
Howe praised Pedro before the game, and the Brazilian striker hurt the Magpies just to rub salt in the wound. But, is he a transfer target Newcastle should truly regret?
Obviously, Nick Woltemade is flying right now and if it was a straight battle between the German striker and Joao Pedro, you’d be taking Woltemade.
A more direct comparison would be Pedro and Yoane Wissa. We’re yet to see the best of the £55m man due to his injury, but the early signs are positive for Wissa after his display against Fulham in midweek.
At the end of the day, it’s hard to say whether Joao Pedro would have been a good fit and a success at Newcastle. We have to be happy with and support the players we’ve got, but there’s no denying the Chelsea man is looking good.
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