On his injury return, Alexander Isak of Newcastle United scored, and the Magpies defeated 10-man Chelsea 4-1 in the Premier League on Saturday at St. James’ Park thanks to two goals in the second half and a late goal from Anthony Gordon.
Isak, who has missed multiple games in the past month owing to a groyne injury, was set up by 17-year-old midfielder Lewis Miley’s wonderful short pass into the centre of Chelsea’s defenders. The striker took a touch before finishing in the 13th minute.
After Raheem Sterling was pulled down on the edge of the area, Chelsea equalised ten minutes later when the winger took the free kick and beat Nick Pope with his feet.
Kieran Trippier, the fullback, nearly gave Newcastle the lead at halftime with a free kick that struck the crossbar, but there was no sign of Chelsea’s impending collapse in the second half.
After an hour, the home team took the lead once more as Newcastle skillfully moved a free kick from right to left. Gordon found Jamaal Lascelles’ head with an inswinging cross, which the Magpies captain drove into the net.
Joelinton took advantage of fellow Brazilian Thiago Silva on the edge of the box, advanced, and scored to put Chelsea under pressure just over a minute later, beating Robert Sanchez once more.
When Reece James received his second yellow card in the 73rd minute for a harmless challenge, any hope Chelsea had of pulling off a comeback was gone, and Eddie Howe had to shuffle his cards.
Howe sent several young players off the bench to push Gordon up front, and in the 83rd minute, he scored the game’s final goal with a superb solo effort, moving Newcastle up to sixth place in the standings with 23 points.
Mauricio Pochettino, the manager of Chelsea, blasted his team following their worst performance of the season, placing them in 10th place with 16 points.
“We’re going to the hotel, training early the next day, with no downtime. As a team, we are not able to hold the players accountable. We must educate ourselves about this circumstance and determine the level at which we can compete,” Pochettino stated.
The manager of Newcastle, Eddie Howe, expressed his satisfaction with his team’s performance in the second half, despite the absence of several important players due to injuries and suspension.
“Among the squad, it was a true expression of character. We deserved to win because we truly asked the guys to stand up. Significant gains from today,” he remarked.