In a direct clash for a place in the next UEFA Champions League, Newcastle once again took no notice of Chelsea and recorded a 2-0 victory over the Blues to take their Premier League tally to 66 points from 36 games. As a result, the Magpies are well on their way to a place in the competition, taking advantage of the setbacks suffered by Manchester City and Nottingham Forest.
Looking to draw support from their fans in a spectacular atmosphere at St. James' Park, Newcastle managed to open the scoring extremely quickly to show what Chelsea should expect this weekend. With another precise assist, Jacob Murphy left Sandro Tonali in perfect conditions to score, showing that he really does belong in the Premier League.
Shortly afterwards, Chelsea were reduced to 10 players due to a move in which the video referee intervened. Referee John Brooks gave a yellow card for Nicolas Jackson's elbow on Sven Botman, but the VAR called it in and the image was very clear in showing how the Blues player makes the movement to hit the elbow, turning the yellow into a red.
The sending-off meant that Enzo Maresca lost one of his greatest technical references until the end of the Premier League, something that could decisively jeopardize his qualification for next season's Champions League. Even so, it's worth noting that the Blues kept up their attacking prowess until the end and produced a good second half.
Many shots on target were made and pressure exerted, but Eddie Howe's side secured victory with a deflected shot. Dan Burn found Bruno Guimarães and the ball deflected off Malo Gusto, giving Newcastle third place.
Chelsa can still secure a place in the next Champions League
Chelsea were fortunate with their other results to remain firmly in contention for a place in the next Champions League, but they need to be more efficient in attack and manage their results better to avoid dropping points more often.