FINAL SCORE: REECE JAMES SPARKLES AS CHELSEA RECOVER FROM TWO GOAL DEFICIT AT NEWCASTLE
Reece James leads a stunning second-half fightback at Newcastle. See the player ratings and tactical breakdown from the 2-2 draw.
Reece James scored an amazing free kick, helping Chelsea tie Newcastle United 2-2 after a terrible first half. Nick Woltemade scored twice in the first 20 minutes, putting Newcastle in control. But Chelsea played much better in the second half and managed to get a point. James, the captain, set the tone with his incredible goal, and then Joao Pedro scored to tie the game on Saturday.
At the same stadium where Nicolas Jackson got a red card in May, Cole Palmer tried to calm Chelsea with a tricky shot that landed on top of the net. But Newcastle scored first in the fourth minute when Robert Sanchez stopped Anthony Gordon's shot, but Woltemade scored on the rebound. Sanchez had to make another save when he tipped away a strong shot from Gordon as Chelsea struggled with Newcastle's fast start. Newcastle was too much for Chelsea, and in the 20th minute, Gordon crossed the ball perfectly to Woltemade, who scored again, making it 2-0. Pedro Neto thought he had scored, but he accidentally used his hand to get the ball in the net, finishing a first half where Newcastle played better than Chelsea.
The second half was different. Chelsea needed to respond, and they did when James curled in a fantastic free kick from 30 yards out in the 49th minute. Then, after Trevoh Chalobah almost gave away a penalty for a push on Gordon, Pedro took advantage of a mistake by Malick Thiaw and scored under Aaron Ramsdale with 24 minutes left. Both teams tried to score the winning goal, and Harvey Barnes almost did with a volley that went just wide near the end. Chelsea, who are in fourth place, might think they gained a point since they were almost beaten. But head coach Enzo Maresca will be worried about how they played in the first half.
StadiumNest's Chelsea player ratings from St. James' Park:
Goalkeeper; Defense
Robert Sanchez (7/10):
He was probably the only Chelsea player who played well in the first half, making some great saves. The Spanish goalkeeper also made a great pass that led to Chelsea's second goal.
Malo Gusto (4/10):
He's had a pretty good year for Chelsea, but this wasn't one of his best games. He had trouble with Gordon's speed.
Wesley Fofana (6/10):
He gave Woltemade too much space for his second goal, which hurt the team. He seemed more comfortable as the game went on.
Trevoh Chalobah (6/10):
He missed a clearance that led to Woltemade's first goal and was lucky not to give away a penalty for a foul on Gordon.
Marc Cucurella (6/10):
Like many of his teammates, he played better in the second half as Chelsea got back into the game.
Midfield
Reece James (8/10):
He didn't have much time in the first half but scored a brilliant free kick to give Chelsea hope. He kept playing well at right-back after Gusto was subbed, making a crucial tackle to stop Harvey Barnes. Without him, Chelsea wouldn't have gotten anything from the game.
Moises Caicedo (6/10):
He didn't do much in the first half. But as Chelsea started to play better, he did too.
Cole Palmer (6/10):
His passing wasn't as good as usual. He improved a bit, but this game didn't bring out his best.
Attack
Pedro Neto (6/10):
He made a couple of nice moves but gave Gordon too much space to cross the ball for Newcastle's second goal. At least he tried hard.
Joao Pedro (7/10):
He didn't do much in the first half but scored his goal well. He probably needs more support in the attack.
Alejandro Garnacho (5/10):
He ran a lot but didn't really do anything useful in the first half and had trouble with Lewis Miley. He also could have been sent off for a careless foul before halftime. Not a great game for him.
Subs & Manager
Enzo Fernandez (7/10):
He helped Chelsea's midfield get more organised.
Andrey Santos (5/10):
He didn't do much after coming off the bench.
Enzo Maresca (7/10):
Newcastle outplayed Chelsea in the first half, and Chelsea's midfield didn't look good. But his halftime talk worked wonders as Chelsea played much better in the second half. If Chelsea wants to compete for the league title, they can't play as they did in the first half.
XAVI OPENLY DECLARES INTEREST IN CHELSEA JOB DURING PERMANENT MANAGER SEARCH
With Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola on the shortlist, explore why Xavi Hernández wants to take over the Chelsea hotseat next.
Xavi has openly said he’d love to manage Chelsea, and now the Blues are hunting for someone to replace Liam Rosenior.
Rosenior got the sack last month after a rough patch just three months into his huge contract that was supposed to last six and a half years. Calum McFarlane is filling in as interim head coach until season’s end, but Chelsea are actively looking for a permanent boss for the 2026/27 campaign.
They're considering some big names. Xabi Alonso’s been mentioned; he’s been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in January. Andoni Iraola, who’s about to leave Bournemouth, is also on the shortlist.
Cesc Fabregas has been linked after his strong run at Como, and Frank Lampard’s in the mix too, fresh off winning the Championship with Coventry and securing promotion.
But Xavi really stands out. He’s already made it clear he’s interested in the Chelsea job. Back in 2019, before his Barcelona return, he said, “I don’t hide it; my goal is to come back to Europe and to Barca. It's my challenge, but I’m enjoying this current project. For me, training a team in Barcelona would be a privilege, the biggest privilege.”
He didn’t just talk about Spain either. “Honestly, who doesn’t love the Premier League? The atmosphere, packed stadiums, everyone says it’s incredible,” Xavi admitted. “If I had to pick, I’d go for a big team: City, United, Chelsea, Arsenal, or Tottenham. Klopp, Pochettino, and Unai Emery are doing amazing work there.”
After returning to Barcelona in 2021, Xavi led them to a La Liga title and the Supercopa de España before Hansi Flick took over in 2024. He’s been out of work since.
Now, Chelsea seems seriously interested in the Spaniard. According to The i, the club wants someone who can embed a strong football identity across their teams, something Enzo Maresca started.
Getting Xavi won’t be easy, though. Morocco’s national team reportedly sees him as a top candidate to replace Walid Regragui, and Manchester United is eyeing him too as they weigh options beyond Michael Carrick.
Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso is the bookmakers’ favourite for the Chelsea role, but word is he’d want more control over club decisions if he moves to west London.
COLE PALMER MISSES PENALTY AS CHELSEA SUFFER HISTORIC SIXTH CONSECUTIVE LEAGUE DEFEAT
Chelsea matched a 1912 record with their 6th straight loss, falling 3-1 to Forest as Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice at the Bridge.
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Chelsea hit rock bottom again, losing 3-1 to Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge. That’s six Premier League defeats in a row now, something the club hadn’t seen since 1912. Just when you thought the season couldn’t get any worse, Forest showed up with a makeshift lineup and absolutely stunned them. Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice, one barely a minute into the match, and then Igor Jesus put away a penalty, and suddenly Forest was six points clear of the drop zone.
Chelsea hadn’t scored in five games, and it looked like that streak would go on forever. Then, in stoppage time, Joao Pedro finally managed an overhead kick to break the drought. That run was made even more ridiculous earlier when Cole Palmer missed a first-half penalty. Matz Sels, Forest’s backup goalkeeper, saved it.
Honestly, the crowd in the Shed End probably barely recognised their own team. Pereira swapped in seven new outfield players, most of them with almost no league experience; he was clearly thinking about the upcoming Europa League semi-final. But it looked like Chelsea was the stranger out there.
Things only got worse for interim head coach Calum McFarlane. He lost Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho to late injuries, so 18-year-old Jesse Derry had to make his Premier League debut. Then, late in the first half, Derry collided heads with Forest’s Zach Abbott and had to be stretchered off after getting oxygen. It was brutal to watch.
The match itself? Chaos. Less than two minutes in, Chelsea messed up their own throw-in and let Forest stroll through midfield. Dilane Bakwa beat Marc Cucurella with little effort and crossed to Awoniyi, who was completely unmarked and headed it in.
Fifteen minutes later, Chelsea conceded again. Bakwa whipped in another cross; Malo Gusto pulled Awoniyi’s shirt, and VAR handed Forest a penalty. Jesus hammered it right down the middle.
The first half was hopeless, and by the end, serious concern set in after that nasty head clash between Derry and Abbott. Abbott, playing just his second league game, left on his own, but Derry needed serious treatment and was stretchered off.
After a nearly ten-minute stoppage, Palmer’s penalty was stopped by Sels. At halftime, Levi Colwill returned from a major injury he hadn’t played since tearing his ACL in August. He tried to restore order, but nothing changed.
Forest’s third goal came just seven minutes into the second half. Gibbs-White crossed, and Awoniyi tapped in from close range, just managing to stay onside. Chelsea’s keeper, Robert Sanchez, took a knock and left with a bandaged head after colliding with Gibbs-White.
Pedro’s late goal barely counted for anything. The few Chelsea fans left in the stadium cheered, but it was more out of irony than joy.
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