(Premier League 2022/2023): Highlights Chelsea - Newcastle

The final game of the season sees Chelsea host Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge. Contrasting campaigns for these two sides. The Magpies secure Champions League football for next term after drawing with Leicester on Monday, whilst the Blues will finish in the bottom half of the table regardless of the result today. Chelsea show three changes to the team that started Old Trafford on Thursday. Thiago Silva, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Raheem Sterling replace Wesley Papana, but Mateo Kovacic is fit enough for the bench. Newcastle make four alterations from Monday's draw with Leicester. Nick Pope is injured so Martin Dubravka starts in goal with Sam Maximam, Target and Gordon replacing Lomstad, Wilson and Byrne. He slipped in a lovely ball for Isak up against Thiago Silva. Isak got the shot on target and Kepa beats it behind for the first corner of the game. A little bit way too open for my liking early on in the game. Manchester United, I thought we started well actually and created a few problems, but you cannot believe in situations where it's 2v2, 3v3 in the back. Lots of space here, here is Sam Maximam. Gordon making his way into the middle and that is as easy as you like. Nobody went with Anthony Gordon and he rolls in his first Newcastle goal to put the away side in front with less than 10 minutes played. I know football is a simple game, and it is, it's a very simple game. Executing it shouldn't be this easy. That is a good delivery, Thiago Silva is there and somehow Dubravka has clawed it away from goal. Thiago Silva looking for his first of the season. Much better delivery, slightly longer than I would have liked, but it's meant, it's that whip. Thiago Silva loses his mark when Bokman wins the ball, comes off the chest of Trippier in the end Dubravka just manages to claw it away. A flat again, didn't get it right, Almiron cleared it away, Azpilicueta headed it back in. Maduake didn't want to touch it for fear of being offside, Havertz is challenging. Now it will drop for Maduake. And the deflection will take it behind for what is already the 6th Chelsea corner of the game. A bit of chaos ensuing in the Newcastle defence, it's the best spell of the game for Chelsea, they're now only 15 and a half minutes in. But in the end, what weather, there might have been an offside call, difficult to say. Fernandes, that's clever from Sterling, they totally switched off Newcastle. Raheem Sterling, Arsenal and Chelsea are back level. Really well worked free kick, but he stopped playing in black and white. But Raheem Sterling and Enzo Fernandes saw what was unfolding, nobody went with the run of Sterling and his shot, which might have been bound for the net anyway, turned in by a Newcastle player, which meant that Dubravka was absolutely helpless and it means that Chelsea are back level. Well it's a brilliant free kick, Matt. And they go to sleep, I'm waiting for it to come in the box, he just peels off Sterling, cuts inside on his left foot, plays the ball across the six-yard box, in the end they're all at sea over the back. Eddie Howell will be very disappointed. It's not stopped with a huge amount of power. There's Sam Maximount. Isaac advanced, I think Sam Maximount's skipping away from the first defender easily, it's a good pass as well, here's a chance for 2-1 for Almiron. And he's hitting straight at Kepa. Well that counter-attack, we've looked very, very vulnerable, haven't we? Carved us open there, really good play from their point of view. Almiron, this right-hand side, how many times has he had that ball? In a shooting opportunity, he could have had a hat-trick out onto that. And he's actually not played very well. The first half. It ricocheted, Enzo has a shot! Oh, one for the cameras there from Dubravka, but really well, and that's what brought out this left-hand side. Lewis was actually forced to come wide, not necessarily because he wanted to, but the pass has forced him out here. Delivers it, takes a wicked deflection, comes inside, Dubravka goes down to his right-hand side. Oh, it is in the end, it's Sterling, he doesn't get enough on it, takes a deflection off Trippier, which makes it very difficult defensively. Obviously, seemingly, they're more interested in winning the game. Yeah, that's been obvious since the second half has taken place. They're sitting deep, condensing space, not really interested in going to get a second goal unless it appears. Sterling going from range. Stinging the fingertips of Dubravka, but an easy save. There was going to be something at the end of it, there was. Unfortunately, Sterling couldn't quite wrap his foot around it. It's not the worst ball back in there, by the way. The way he just plays it through the legs. Cakwemeka, Felix. And that's from 40 yards. Well, the pass from Felix has got to go into Cakwemeka, he does everything right, play the ball first time. Little one, give a go. Fails this time. Well, I can't believe he hasn't hit the target from there. That's what makes me think this might be. I don't really know what... This is not... I mean, that's terrible. Terrible defending. Oh, that's not going to be given. No, I don't see this being given. He was waiting to see if there was going to be a significant advantage gained after the foul on Azpilicueta and quickly decided there was not. Free kick taken quickly. Maduake. Oh, that's a great ball. Felix almost got on the end of it. He's been excellent. Really, really good, Maduake. But he's still got it. Chance for him. Gets caught in a couple of mines. I think in that situation, you've got to pull the trigger. Sterling's managed to win it. Pulisic here, if he can play it. Sterling lays it off for Christian Pulisic to win it. And he hits it straight at the Bravka. We head into three minutes of stoppage time. What a chance. He does ever so well, Raheem Sterling. Does everything right. Too much pace in the end. It's a lovely strike. Fernandes, here's Pulisic. Releasing Lewis Hall. Plenty of options in the middle here. Decent cross for Felix. Oh, it's just over. Chelsea have had their chances to win it later on. Joao Felix specifically. Great ball in from Lewis Hall. That is the end of the campaign for Chelsea and Newcastle. They share the points on final day here as Frank Lampard's spell as interim manager comes to an end. Newcastle were ahead early on through Anthony Gordon. Kieran Trippier put through his own net for 1-1. And that was how it finished. So it's not a winning end for Frank Lampard. But it is a point on the board at least. It has been, let's be brutally honest, a season to forget. But at least it's ended with some sort of positivity here. Bright sparks for Chelsea on the pitch with the likes of Madhu Akka and Hall. But no victory.