Chelsea Football Club managed to secure a 3-2 victory over Newcastle United in the English Premier League on Monday, easing some of the pressure on their coach, Mauricio Pochettino. The match took place at Stamford Bridge, the home ground of Chelsea. Cole Palmer, who has been one of the Blues’ best players this season, was instrumental in the win, creating one goal and scoring another.
The match began with Chelsea taking the lead in the sixth minute. The Senegalese striker, Nicolas Jackson, deflected a shot from Palmer into the net, beyond the reach of Newcastle’s goalkeeper, Martin Dubravka. However, the Magpies managed to equalize just before halftime, as Alexander Isak curled a shot beyond the diving Djordje Petrovic.
The second half saw Chelsea regain their lead in the 57th minute, with Palmer scoring a brilliant goal from outside the box. The Blues continued to dominate, and substitute Mykhailo Mudryk scored a third goal in the 76th minute after dancing through Newcastle’s defense and rounding Dubravka.
Newcastle managed to pull one back in the 90th minute when Jacob Murphy blasted a fierce shot into the net, but it was too little, too late, and Chelsea held on for the win.
The win leaves Chelsea in 11th position, with a game in hand and a point behind Newcastle, who are in 10th place. Another three points would push the Blues up to eighth, putting them within sight of qualifying for the Europa League or the Europa League Conference.
Both Chelsea and Newcastle have failed to live up to the expectations of their deep-pocketed owners this season. Newcastle’s manager, Eddie Howe, is under just as much pressure as Pochettino at Chelsea.
Pochettino was relieved to have secured the win and was appreciative of the fans’ support. “We played a very good team with amazing players, it was really tough,” he told the BBC. “We made the victory, but we keep looking forward and moving forward – the most important is the three points. We are building something different and we need to accept it.”
Chelsea’s only hope of silverware now lies in the FA Cup, where they have a last-eight tie against Leicester City at home on Sunday. Newcastle will face Manchester City in their quarter-final match, which will take place on Saturday.
Howe was disappointed with his team’s defending and emphasized the importance of conceding fewer goals. “I thought we were good in lots of aspects of our play tonight,” he told talkSPORT radio. “You can’t concede goals like that, home or away, and expect to win the game, simple as that.”
