(Premier League 2023/2024): Highlights Newcastle - Chelsea

Welcome back club football. International interruptions are done with until the spring begins. Domestic duty all the way till then. For Chelsea, unlike Newcastle, no Europe to think about. Just the league and the Cup and we're seeing Newcastle United on both of those fronts. Beginning here at St. James's Park today. Serious run of tough fixtures. Tottenham and City before the break. Newcastle, Brighton, United coming out of it. I think we all needed that international break given what had preceded it. 4-1 chaos at Spurs. 4-4 chaos against City. Four great points out of it with entertainment off the chart. This perhaps likely to be rather more cagey but we shall see. Newcastle were beaten in both of their two matches going into the international break. They were both away. They have massive injury issues. Today though they do have Bruno Guimaraes back from a ban. At fullback, one former Blues Academy boy replaces another. Out Louis Hall in Tino Liberamento and up front with Callum Wilson still out for a while. Alexander Isak is back supported by the informed Gordon and Miguel Almiron. What a time to be Cole Palmer, eh? He returns for this game as a full England international now in a Blues side that shows two changes from the starters in the 4-4 against City. Di Zassi and Caicedo drop to the bench. Badia Scheel, Ugo Chupru start instead. Games where people are tough to break down. Chelsea have found it very tough to break down. Here goes Connor Gallagher. Jackson has to stay on side. Pope watches it well wide. Trippier going deep again. Back of Gordon's head. Maybe for Miley. Oh he's played it through. Isak waiting to see if there's a flag. There isn't one yet. It looks like Newcastle are in front. That is a brilliant pass from the 17-year-old and a deadly finish from Isak. Well for a young man 12 minutes in Miley's been so impressive. Every time he's had the ball he's been so confident, so deliberate. A bit of a non-event of the game from Chelsea's point of view so far but Jackson's hard work has forced a turnover here. Sterling has Palmer steaming up with him. Is that a foul by Trippier? If it is it's at least a yellow card. It's a really promising situation but they got back well Newcastle United there and Raheem Sterling's options kind of diminished. Sterling. Oh Nick Pope didn't even move. 1-1 with a beauty. Raheem Sterling the big dipper. Chelsea are level. That's magnificent. I'm surprised when Rhys James walks away there. I thought it was set up for him to just thump goalwards and that is magnificent from Raheem Sterling. Full of confidence at the moment. Displays it here. Just a little clip wasn't it? Yet another Trippier set piece. Oh three header. How on earth has that not gone in? Joelinton has missed a sit-up. It's more like it. Slick stuff through the Chelsea midfield. James. Palmer. Definitely worth a hit. He's put the brakes on Cole Palmer. Played it back to his skipper. James teeing it up. Lovely Chelsea move. What a counter-attack that was. It ends with a good save from Pope as Enzo Fernandez is denied the first Premier League goal. Yeah you're probably getting Cole Palmer in a position where he can have the biggest save. Gifted away by Pope to Gallagher. Nice feet. How's the finish? Oh it's disappointing. It's very disappointing. 25 yards as the crow flies. It's also there but it'll surely be Trippier. Oh it will and it's very very good. Smacks the bar. I think this probably grazes the finger of Sanchez as well. He gets there just as it crashes off the top of the crossbar I think. Or does his touch divert it onto that? No I don't think it does. Chance for Connor Gallagher. Chance for Joel Linton. Maybe a shield as well. Straight away a foul and a yellow card for Jamal Lascelles. Looking more like the captain from the angle they're lining up at. I would love Reece to stick in the identical. Wouldn't that be brilliant. He's gone for it. Over to you Raheem next time. Coming infield. That's a brilliant ball. It was by Jamal Lascelles. So often it is all about the delivery and that was perfect by Anthony Gordon. The Newcastle lead again. Didn't get organised defensively. Chelsea from the moment that Raheem Sterling gave away the free kick. Newcastle kept it and then Gordon was able to find the angle to deliver a quite brilliant ball. There was no problem there Ben was there. They were in a good position. Just switched off. There was enough Chelsea shirts there. Oh no and it could get worse. It should get worse. It does get worse. It's a gift for Joel Linton. Disastrous couple of minutes for the Blues. It's 3-1. Oh dear. Very little we can say about that. Just an individual mistake. Thiago Silva who's been so good again this season. Immaculate you would say throughout the campaign. I think just gets caught in two minds here. Reece James. Anthony Gordon. He knew it was coming and it's a second yellow for Chelsea's captain. That card earlier wasn't for Conor Gallagher it was for him. You've just got to let him run. It's not worth having you suspended. Shoot they all said to Fabian Scheer and he's going to. Good stop from Sanchez smartly down to his right. As you said he played their last time out didn't he so. Four goals in the Premier League this season. Anthony Gordon make that five. Newcastle four, Chelsea one and I have to say yet again that is just way too easy. Way too easy. Cannot believe there's three goals in this scoreline. Modueke his fellow January arrival was the target. Red and picked off as the full-time whistle goes. It's ended up a very comprehensive win. Curious game. Very even in the first half. Pretty scrappy overall but after the break two goals in two minutes really killed the contest.