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Chelsea suffered a humbling 4-1 defeat away at Newcastle and here are three reasons for the disappointing result
Chelsea suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat to Newcastle United at St James' Park after crumbling in a disappointing second half collapse for Pochettino's men.
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18:03 - 25.11.2023
Newcastle 4-1 Chelsea: Magpies bring Pochettino's Blues back to earth
High-flying Chelsea humiliated by Newcastle at St. James' Park
Alexander Isak scored an early goal to give Newcastle the lead in the 13th minute and although Raheem Sterling equalised 10 minutes later with a fantastic freekick, the game really escaped Chelsea's grasp in the second half.
Jamal Lascelles was left all alone in the box and he punished Chelsea's mistake with a precise header to make it 2-1 on the hour mark and seconds later, Joelinton pounced on a mistake from Thiago Silva to make it 3-1.
Chelsea captain Reece James would pick up a second yellow after which Newcastle punished them again with a fourth goal late on from Anthony Gordon to seal the 4-1 win.
The result is a particularly humbling one for the Blues and brings them back down to earth after a recent run of good games against top teams like Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City.
Here are three reasons for that shocking result on Saturday afternoon.
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19:30 - 23.11.2023
3 reasons why Chelsea could shock the world and end Newcastle’s record
Chelsea have a great opportunity to end Newcastle's long-standing record this weekend and here are three reasons they will beat the Magpies at St James' Park.
3 reasons Chelsea lost to Newcastle
1. International break
Chelsea's best performance of the season so far was in the incredible 4-4 draw against Manchester City just before the international break and now they look completely different two weeks later.
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Of course this could be chalked up to the general inconsistency Chelsea have displayed over the last 18 to 20 months but there is a case to be made for the international break being the reason.
Beating Tottenham 4-1 and drawing against Manchester City, scoring eight goals within a week and playing good football provided Chelsea with a massive boost and the feeling that they are back to previous levels of excellence.
A break just after that goes a long way in ruining the momentum Chelsea had while it also came at a perfect time for Eddie Howe and Newcastle.
The Magpies had lost consecutive games 2-0 and were in the middle of an injury crisis before the international break but the two-week layoff afforded them the opportunity to regroup and bounce back.
There is every chance Chelsea would have won this game had it been played a week ago but it is what it is.
2. Defensive errors
Chelsea ultimately have themselves to blame for this poor result as emphatically stated by head coach Mauricio Pochettino who called it their worst performance of the season.
The first half ended 1-1 and the game was neck and neck until Chelsea gave it all away with comical defending in the second half which proved to be the decider.
Lascelles' goal to give Newcastle the lead was a result of a free header after some miscommunication in the Chelsea defence left them all confused as to who should have been marking him.
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This was also similar to the second goal Chelsea conceded against Manchester City, Manuel Akanji's header also came as a result of a cross from the left while the Chelsea defence left him all alone.
Just 90 seconds after that, all hope was extinguished through yet another defensive error, Thiago Silva froze like a deer in headlights and Joelinton pounced, stealing the ball off him for a simple finish.
Chelsea basically gave the game away to Newcastle and it was confirmed when another defender, Reece James got sent off after picking up two avoidable yellow cards.
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3. Pochettino's absence
Chelsea were without manager Mauricio Pochettino who was serving a touchline ban after accumulating three yellow cards this season already.
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The Argentine watched on from the stands as his team capitulated in the second half and perhaps had he been down there with them he could have done something about it.
The psychological effect of getting direct firsthand instructions from the manager mid-game cannot be overstated. It could have provided Chelsea a much needed boost.
The Chelsea players looked like they lacked direction and leadership which the manager himself alluded to and could have provided had he not been sitting up in the St James' Park stands.
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