Four things we learnt from Newcastle vs Chelsea
Newcastle and Chelsea shared the points at St James’ Park in a match that had plenty of talking points, from contentious officiating decisions to standout individual performances.
Here, Sports News Blitz’s Charlotte Allsop breaks down four key things we learned from an entertaining Premier League encounter.
VAR controversy
Once again, VAR was at the forefront of a Premier League fixture for all the wrong reasons.
Newcastle would have definitely felt hard done by after being denied a penalty shout that would have potentially secured them three points in an important fixture.
VAR swiftly dismissed Newcastle’s appeals for a spot kick after Trevoh Chalobah barged Anthony Gordon to the ground inside the penalty area.
Fans and players immediately called for a penalty to be awarded, but they were unsuccessful as VAR waved their demands away after a very brief review.
Prior to the penalty appeal, Chelsea had just pulled a goal back and were building momentum. A penalty to the Magpies would have likely changed the dynamic and outcome of the match.
Speaking after the match, Eddie Howe voiced his frustrations with the decision, saying, “It was a clear error and a clear penalty.
“I think the player has gone into Anthony aggressively, too aggressively, so I think it’s a stonewall - it was the wrong decision.”
There were other controversial decisions made throughout the game, including a potential red card incident and other penalty claims, so it’s safe to say VAR had a big influence on the match.
Wonderful Woltemade
Nick Woltemade showed his class against Chelsea, scoring a first-half brace to put Newcastle two goals ahead.
Following his unfortunate own goal in the derby in the previous league fixture, the Germany international would have definitely been hoping to put things right against the Blues.
His fantastic two goals were the result of a strong first-half display from Newcastle at St James Park, and showcased his importance to the side.
Woltemade expressed his gratitude for the Newcastle supporters, admitting he “wanted to give back to the fans” after the positive support he received since the derby.
“That’s why I played, I think, good - because I knew the fans are behind me,” he said, “the fans give me the confidence.”
As well as being the goal scorer, Woltemade was also very much involved with the build-up for Newcastle throughout the game, with Aaron Ramsdale playing the ball straight through the middle directly to the German forward to hold up, showcasing his range of attributes to the side.
On his clinical striker, Eddie Howe said: “Nick played really well today, had his best game for us.
“He set the tone as the focal point of the attack. He ran tirelessly and took his chances brilliantly.
Lewis Miley and adaptation
Boyhood Newcastle fan Lewis Miley has been a shining light for Eddie Howe’s side during what has been a disheartening period of results.
Scoring the winner against Fulham and stepping in comfortably at full-back to cover Newcastle’s defensive injury woes, Miley has delivered when his club needed him the most.
Despite playing out of his natural position, the 19-year-old performed to a high standard against £40m winger Alejandro Garnacho and defended superbly throughout the entire game, earning man of the match.
Eddie Howe was full of praise for the young talent after his goal against Fulham in the game prior to Chelsea, stating: “A brilliant performance from a talented young player. He hasn’t played right-back a lot and he had to take on a lot of information this morning, so he did really well.”
Miley’s ability and willingness to adapt to a new position has proven him to be a reliable option for Howe during a challenging period.
It also highlights his maturity, tactical intelligence and growing importance within the squad.
More points dropped?
Following a recent run of dropping points, Newcastle would have been confident of securing a victory after a dominant first-half performance.
The Magpies were back to their firing best for the opening 45 minutes against Chelsea, and their intensity led them to a deserved two-goal lead.
However, it was a game of two halves, and Chelsea bounced back from their poor start, scoring twice in the second half to claim a draw.
Newcastle’s early authority in the game wasn’t enough to secure all three points, and the familiar frustration of points dropped was once again evident at full-time.
Manager Eddie Howe spoke about the ongoing issue of seeing games out, after his side dropped more points from a winning position, stating: “It’s painful for us because we have been in this position before.
“All we can do is learn from these experiences and try to improve. If we had those points back, we would have been in a different position.”
Goalscorer Nick Woltemade voiced his thoughts on the team giving up a two-goal lead: “It’s unlucky we conceded two goals in two situations from which we normally don’t concede.
“I don’t know why we conceded two goals. It happened. We’ll keep working on it.”
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