Newcastle United inched closer to UEFA Champions League qualification as they battled to a crucial 2-0 win over 10-man Chelsea.
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The teams entered Sunday's mammoth encounter at St James' Park level on 63 points in fourth and fifth, only ahead of Aston Villa on goal difference after they beat AFC Bournemouth on Saturday.
It was Eddie Howe's team that took a huge step towards sealing a place in the top five, with Sandro Tonali's second-minute goal setting them on their way.
Chelsea had Nicolas Jackson sent off for serious foul play after hitting Sven Botman with his forearm, though they nevertheless improved after half-time to put Newcastle under pressure.
But Bruno Guimaraes' deflected strike made sure of the points in the 90th minute, taking Newcastle above Manchester City into third.
The Magpies are three points above Chelsea, who could end the weekend outside of the Champions League places.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
36 | +46 | 83 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
36 | +33 | 68 |
| 3 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
36 | +23 | 66 |
| 4 |
Man City
MCI
|
36 | +24 | 65 |
| 5 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
36 | +19 | 63 |
| 6 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
36 | +7 | 63 |
| 7 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
36 | +12 | 62 |
How the match unfolded
Just 112 seconds had passed when Newcastle hit the front, having pressed high to win possession from Romeo Lavia. The ball was switched to Jacob Murphy on the right, and his inviting cross was turned home by Tonali at the far post.
Chelsea's hopes received a further blow on 35 minutes as Jackson threw a forearm into the head of Botman when challenging for a high ball. Following a VAR review, the Blues striker was sent off for serious foul play, with referee John Brooks upgrading his decision from a yellow card to a red.
Yet Newcastle came out tentatively after half-time, and only a full-stretch save from Nick Pope denied Marc Cucurella an equaliser.
Pope brilliantly touched Enzo Fernandez's deflected drive over the top as Chelsea continued to press, and substitute Reece James could have done better when he nodded Malo Gusto's cross off-target in.
But the home fans could breathe a sigh of relief with stoppage time looming, as Guimaraes' 20-yard effort deflected off Gusto and looped over Robert Sanchez.
Howe shows flexibility
Injuries have started to bite at Newcastle at a crucial moment. With Joelinton and Lewis Hall already out, the Magpies also lost Joe Willock and Kieran Trippier ahead of this crunch encounter.
Howe has relied on a small, tight-knit squad, with only Nottingham Forest using fewer players than Newcastle in the Premier League this season.
And their injury problems necessitated a change of shape, with Botman coming in for his first league start since January as Howe utilised a 3-4-3 system, deploying Murphy and Tino Livramento as wing-backs.
While Murphy provided a wonderful assist, Newcastle did not sacrifice midfield energy by changing formation. Having forced Lavia into a giveaway, Tonali showed great determination to get into a goalscoring position, though there was an element of fortune about the way his scuffed finish bounced up and over Sanchez.
Chelsea made an upbeat start to the second half after pushing Moises Caicedo into midfield, but Howe responded accordingly, introducing Lewis Miley for Botman and returning to his usual 4-3-3.
That change allowed Newcastle to tighten things up somewhat, though they needed to survive a few nervous moments and got a huge slice of fortune for Guimaraes' clincher.
But it was all about the result for Newcastle, who visit Arsenal and host Everton in their final two games, knowing four points would guarantee a return to the Champions League.
Chelsea architects of their own downfall
A run of three straight Premier League victories ensured Chelsea's top-five fate was in their own hands ahead of this trip to Tyneside, while they also have a UEFA Conference League final versus Real Betis to come on 28 May.
That upturn had quietened murmurs of discontent at Stamford Bridge, though many have accused Enzo Maresca's men of causing their own problems at times this season.
That was the case for Newcastle's opener, as Lavia received an ill-advised pass from Trevoh Chalobah and was pressed ferociously by Tonali. The Italian continued his run into the box to meet Murphy's cross, with Chelsea's stand-in right-back Caicedo failing to track him.
Another self-inflicted wound proved even more costly as Jackson threw his arm out at Botman, having taken his eyes off the ball before striking his opponent.
Chelsea deserve credit for the way they took the game to Newcastle with 10 men, but they sorely lacked Jackson's presence up top, and Maresca had no recognised striker available from the bench.
Jackson will also be suspended for Chelsea's final two games of the campaign, against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest. That latter fixture could yet amount to a play-off for Champions League qualification.
Club reports
Newcastle report | Chelsea report
What the managers said
Eddie Howe: "It was anxious in the second half, that was an interesting 45 minutes. We played really well in the first half, we were electric, but a mixture of things - the psychology of the game, the scoreline, 10 v 11 - it made it a difficult second half. I thought Chelsea did really well but we hung in there. We're on the road to what we want to do this season, but there's still a lot of work to do and two tough fixtures to play. The size of the prize is huge, the players are aware of that. There was a worry when we won the trophy [League Cup] that there would be a negative consequence of that, but I think it actually gave us confidence."
Enzo Maresca: "In this stadium it's already difficult, but to come here and for one hour to play with 10 players is not easy. Second half the team showed effort, spirit, energy, unbelievable. We must keep this spirit and energy for Friday. We had three clear chances second half, Cucurella, Enzo [Fernandez] and Reece [James]. The important thing is to arrive there. Unfortunately we didn't score. My message in the last five or six games was the game is gone, move on."
Remaining PL fixtures
Key facts
Newcastle picked up their 20th Premier League win of the season, the first time they have won 20+ matches in a single season in the competition since 2002/03 (21), which was the last time they finished in the top three of the division.
Chelsea have lost six of their last nine away games in the Premier League (W1 D2); indeed, since Christmas Day, only Leicester City (before their visit to Nottingham Forest later today) and Southampton (both 4) have picked up fewer away points in the competition than Maresca’s side (5).
Newcastle have scored four Premier League goals within the opening two minutes of matches this season – the joint-most of any side (Brentford also 4).
Chelsea have lost 15 of their 30 Premier League games at St. James' Park, only losing more at one other away ground in the competition (17 at Anfield).
