Chelsea 1-2 Newcastle - Match Report: It was all dream and the Magpies are mid

Today at 06:00 AM

No takeover will ever save Newcastle from mediocrity.

Newcastle United's struggles continued as they fell to a 2-1 defeat at Chelsea, stretching their winless run in the Premier League to five matches through MD9.

Despite a competitive performance, the Magpies couldn't contain Cole Palmer, whose sudden explosion keeps on giving and whose display played a crucial role in Chelsea's win on Sunday.

Eddie Howe's squad, already hindered by the absence of key players like Sven Botman on defense and Callum Wilson at the nine, was without Anthony Gordon after he suffered an issue ahead of the game.

Of course, the Magpies managed to equalize the game after falling down 1-0 through Alexander Isak but ultimately fell short due to a couple of defensive lapses that put up the final 2-1 and dropped NUFC to 12th in the Premier League table. Sheeshh...

Chelsea brought some high-tempo play o the table and capitalized early. Palmer placed a pass on Pedro Neto, whose cross was converted by Nicolas Jackson in the 18th minute.

Newcastle responded with Miguel Almirón and Harvey Barnes pushing forward, but their efforts fell short until the 32nd minute when a combination between Barnes and Lewis Hall resulted in Hall's low cross, which Isak managed to steer past Chelsea keeper Robert Sánchez, leveling the score.

It was—sit tight—Newcastle's first open-play goal in over a month.

Howe commended his players for their response after conceding the initial goal, noting the team's resilience and ability to match Chelsea's high-energy play.

"I felt we did [deserve a point] for the character shown in coming back," Howe said. "There were a lot of positive things, a lot of very good football. We were moments away from scoring at any moment."

Yet, as Newcastle entered the second half confident about flipping the score, another moment of Palmer's stupid superstardom undid them.

Less than two minutes in, Alexander Isak lost possession near the halfway line, and a quick intervention by Roméo Lavia sent Palmer racing toward goal. His low shot beat Nick Pope at the near post, restoring Chelsea's lead and ultimately securing the win.

Reflecting on the game, Howe acknowledged the team's struggles in both boxes with another matchup against the Blues coming in three days.

"It's just the final bit in both boxes where we didn't defend the two moments well enough that we're missing," Howe said. "I felt we had enough positive actions to score more."

With a Carabao Cup rematch against Chelsea on Wednesday, Howe admitted that squad rotation options are limited, signaling potential fatigue and fitness challenges ahead and a lack of changes expected on the next squad he puts on the field. Yikes.