If the world needed reminders that Cole Palmer can make the difference, this game provided further evidence.
A tight contest was decided by the Chelsea player’s brilliance much to Newcastle’s frustration, with Palmer scoring the winner having already supplied a magnificent pass in the build-up to the home side’s opening goal. Gianfranco Zola, watching on from the stands, will have been thrilled at his performance.
Palmer had actually been denied a fourth-minute opener, with VAR deeming the midfielder marginally offside as he finished off the post, though the visitors’ respite was short-lived. The England international’s wonderful pass shortly afterwards sent Pedro Neto skipping away down the left, with Nicolas Jackson outpacing Newcastle’s backtracking defenders to convert the low centre.
Alexander Isak equalised after a fine team move involving Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall, both graduates of Chelsea’s Cobham academy. But, after a competitive first half, Palmer restored the home side’s lead immediately after the interval with his seventh Premier League goal of the campaign, dispatched beyond Nick Pope at the goalkeeper’s near post.
Neto headed against the woodwork, Pope saved from Mykhailo Mudryk and the late award of a penalty for a foul on Christopher Nkunku was overturned after a lengthy VAR check. Yet Chelsea’s fragility at the back had still offered the visitors a chance of recovery. Reece James blocked an Isak header on the line, with the striker later denied having wriggled around Robert Sanchez.
Liam Twomey and Jacob Whitehead dissect the major talking points at Stamford Bridge.
Was Palmer’s the pass of the season to date?
Livramento probably should have known what was coming when Palmer stole that briefest of glances over his left shoulder as he prepared to receive a pass from Malo Gusto.
Palmer’s ‘scanning’ ability has devastated Premier League defences for more than a year, and here it opened a window for a pass that did not seem remotely on.
After his second touch, which shifted the ball to his right just outside Chelsea’s penalty area, he already knew exactly where Livramento was in relation to the sprinting Neto and the narrow area behind them in which to land his pass. His second glance, just before he curled the ball around an advancing Joelinton, was just to make sure his initial calculations were correct.
The best pass in the Premier League this season? It might not even have been Palmer’s best. It was, however, unquestionably sublime, turning fraught defence into dangerous attack in an instant. Neto’s lightning speed did the rest, leaving a stumbling Livramento in his wake and rendering Fabian Schar’s desperate covering slide useless.
It will be remembered primarily because Neto and Nicolas Jackson found the poise at pace to ensure it ended in a goal, but it will quickly be supplanted by Palmer’s next moment of brilliance.
Liam Twomey
What part did Chelsea’s academy play in the equaliser?
By midway through the first half, Newcastle had gone 470 minutes without a goal from open play.
They were struggling for fluidity against Chelsea, appearing a bit too desperate and losing the ball as they tried to attack directly. So their equaliser came from nowhere — and was forged in their opponents’ Cobham academy, with Livramento and Lewis Hall recipients of the Chelsea academy player of the year award in 2021 and 2023 respectively.
Chelsea appeared to have Newcastle trapped in their own corner, with Fabian Schar’s only option to play speculatively up the line. However, smart interplay between Livramento and Miguel Almiron allowed Guimaraes to receive the ball in a semblance of space — and with Tonali’s cover allowing Livramento licence to go, the Newcastle right-back burst through pressure in the Chelsea midfield.
After being found again by Joelinton, whose neat turn took both Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia out of the game, Livramento passed the ball to Harvey Barnes. He duly drew Malo Gusto before slipping the overlapping Lewis Hall into space.
Hall found an unmarked Alexander Isak in the middle — who just about avoided being caught offside — to secure his first Premier League assist, 14 months after first arriving at Newcastle from Stamford Bridge.
Jacob Whitehead
Why did Newcastle struggle to contain the hosts?
Newcastle’s midfield three were liable for both Chelsea goals — as well as Palmer’s disallowed effort early on.
Sometimes this was directly evident — for Chelsea’s second, for example, Joelinton was dispossessed by Romeo Lavia, with no cover to prevent Palmer from strolling 20 yards upfield and stroking home.
Other times, the hosts forced the defence into rash challenges through their positioning. Frequently, either Jackson or Palmer dropped deep and, without pressure from Newcastle’s midfield three, one of Dan Burn or Fabian Schar was drawn out. Pace is not either’s strength, and the attackers turned them easily with Chelsea’s off-ball option filling the space of the absent centre-back.
Fundamentally, Joelinton and Sandro Tonali, Newcastle’s notional No 8s, do not have the attacking output to justify leaving such a gap in defensive midfield — Chelsea exploited it over and over again.
Jacob Whitehead
Reece James… the left-back?
The evidence of this season so far is that Enzo Maresca seems to take particular pleasure in surprising opponents and onlookers with the way he lines up his Chelsea team.
When the line-ups were announced, the natural assumption was that Malo Gusto would reprise the inverting left-back role that yielded mixed returns against Liverpool at Anfield. Instead it was club captain James who was deployed on the left of Chelsea’s back three in possession, with Gusto inverting into midfield from the right side.
Perhaps the thinking behind it was defensive, with Maresca hoping James’ presence would help nullify dangerous left footer Miguel Almiron. In the event, the Paraguayan only threatened Sanchez’s goal with one incisive run and wayward shot in the first half and, otherwise, found himself limited to touches in less dangerous areas.
The biggest defensive value James provided against Newcastle was in scramble mode, blocking one fierce Sandro Tonali shot in the first half and twice clearing off his line.
In an attacking sense, James’ comfort level on the ball and passing range did help Chelsea’s build-up through the defensive and middle thirds, though his trademark whipped crosses were less effective — not least because this team has so little for him to aim for in the air.
Ultimately though, James simply getting through another sizeable chunk of competitive Premier League minutes without breaking down or looking in physical discomfort will please Maresca and everyone else of a Chelsea persuasion, regardless of where on the pitch he is playing.
Liam Twomey
How do these sides approach Wednesday night?
As evidenced by the early weeks of their Europa Conference League campaign, Chelsea have the luxury of fielding a completely different starting XI if Maresca so chooses.
It would be a surprise if he did not lean heavily into those deep talent reserves. Chelsea’s team against Panathinaikos on Thursday cost more than £500million ($648m) in transfer fees to assemble, so it would be strange not to trust at least a few of them for a Carabao Cup tie.
Maresca has also made it clear that for the foreseeable future, James, Lavia and Wesley Fofana will not be expected to start more than twice in a week. Fofana tweaked his left knee again here, and his injury history makes the risk of over-exposing him too great. Maresca has more than enough alternatives to avoid doing that.
Newcastle, in contrast, have used the fewest players in the Premier League this season.
They desperately need answers tactically, particularly in midfield, but the options are relatively sparse. Joe Willock has not been trusted in midfield since his start at Fulham, and while Sean Longstaff is solid defensively, he limits Newcastle’s right-side attack. The 18-year-old Lewis Miley is only recently back to fitness, and a start would be surprising.
Anthony Gordon’s groin injury, a surprise absentee on Sunday, is a further blow.
Liam Twomey and Jacob Whitehead
What did the managers say?
We will bring you the thoughts of both managers after the have spoken at their post-match press conferences.
What next?
As mentioned above, these teams will renew hostilities on Wednesday, October 30 as Chelsea travel to St James’ Park in the Carabao Cup’s round of 16 (7.45pm UK, 3.45pm ET)
Recommended reading
- Chelsea in a UEFA Conference League class of their own – only complacency can stop them
- Andy Carroll interview: ‘There’s always been this fascination with me… You go into dark places’
- The cult of ‘Cold Palmer’ has reached America – can he become a global brand?
- Explained: What Amanda Staveley’s ‘Bin Salman’ WhatsApps mean for Newcastle
(Top photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
