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.
WHY WAS COLE PALMER SUBBED? THE REAL REASON BEHIND THE STAMFORD BRIDGE BOOS
Fans booed as Cole Palmer was subbed in Chelsea's draw with Bournemouth. Learn why Maresca was absent and what’s next for the Blues.
After Chelsea's 2-2 tie with Bournemouth, assistant coach Willy Caballero defended the choice to sub off Cole Palmer, even though fans at Stamford Bridge were angry about Enzo Maresca's move.
Fans booed, yelling, You don't know what you're doing! when Palmer—who'd been one of the team's better players—was taken out in the 63rd minute. The home team was trying to score and break their bad Premier League streak at the time.
Chelsea has only won one of their last seven league games. Caballero said afterward that head coach Enzo Maresca, who wasn't there for the post-game interviews due to illness, is still a role model for everyone at the club.
Still, the pressure is on the coach after yet another result slipped away. Chelsea has now lost 13 points at home from winning positions.
The mood got especially sour when Palmer, who just came back from an injury, was taken off in the second half.
Every fan wants the best players on the field, Caballero said. We do, too. But Cole is coming back from a long injury. So we have to figure out the best substitutions to win the game while also keeping our players healthy. We need them for the entire season.
Caballero said about Maresca's absence, "He hasn't been feeling well for the past two days." He had a fever two days ago. He did the last two practices because he wanted to get the team ready. But after the game, he went to the locker room and asked me to fill in because he wasn't feeling well.
He's handling it well and is very professional. He puts in a lot of hours every day, even when he wasn't feeling well the last two days. He loves to train and coach. He's a role model for me and the rest of the staff.
Bournemouth took the lead after six minutes when David Brooks scored on his second try after Robert Sanchez made a save. Then, Palmer scored a penalty to tie the game for Chelsea.
Next, Enzo Fernandez put the home team ahead, but the Blues couldn't hold on to their lead again. Justin Kluivert tied the score before halftime after Chelsea failed to handle a long throw-in from Antoine Semenyo.
There's been a lot of talk that this would be Semenyo's last game for Bournemouth before he moves to Manchester City soon. Before leaving the field, he seemed to say goodbye to the fans who had traveled to see the game.
Still, head coach Andoni Iraola was sure he'd play against Arsenal on Saturday.
It's not his last game here with us, he said. I can't say for sure, but I think he'll play.
He needs to rest. We've played two tough games in three days. We have Arsenal at home, so we're getting ready for another one, a tough game against the leaders. He's going to be important for us.
BREAKING: ENZO MARESCA SKIPS MEDIA AS CHELSEA CRISIS DEEPENS! GET THE HEALTH UPDATE
Enzo Maresca missed the post-match media due to a fever after Chelsea's 2-2 draw. Willy Caballero provides an urgent update on his health.
Enzo Maresca skipped media interviews after Chelsea's 2-2 tie with Bournemouth because he was sick.
The Blues coach was supposed to chat after his team snagged a point against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.
But right before he was about to talk about the game, news dropped that Maresca wasn't feeling good.
So, his assistant, Willy Caballero, stepped in to handle things in west London.
Caballero shared an update on Maresca: He's been under the weather for a couple of days, Caballero said. He had a fever two days ago.
After the game, he went to the locker room and asked me to fill in for him since he wasn't feeling well.
Caballero was asked if he'd be in charge against Manchester City on Sunday, like he was against Villa during Maresca's suspension.
"I'm not sure," he said. I just want Enzo to get better. I think he'll be fine in a day or two.
The draw with Bournemouth means Chelsea has only won one of their last seven Premier League games.
Fans were clearly annoyed during the second half when Cole Palmer was subbed out for Joao Pedro.
Palmer just got back to playing regularly after a groin injury, but some Chelsea fans wondered why he was taken out.
About the boos, Caballero said, "Of course, every fan wants their best players on the field, and so do we."
But Cole is coming off a long injury, so we have to figure out the right subs for the game and also look out for our players since we didn't have him for a while.
Chelsea and Bournemouth had a boring 0-0 draw in their previous match earlier in the month.
But the game at Stamford Bridge was totally different, with Bournemouth taking the lead early on through David Brooks.
Palmer leveled the score with a penalty, and then Enzo Fernandez blasted a shot into the top corner to put Chelsea ahead.
But Chelsea failed to defend a long throw for the second time, allowing Justin Kluivert to score for Bournemouth.
After playing City, Chelsea will face their west London rivals Fulham before an FA Cup game away against Charlton Athletic.