Newcastle United’s disappointing start to the season continued following a 2-1 defeat at the hands of high-flying Chelsea. Eddie Howe’s side have now failed to win their last five games, succumbing to three defeats in that time. The Magpies currently sit in 12th in the Premier League, with just 12 points to their name.
On Sunday at Stamford Bridge, the Blues were the dominant side, scoring after 18 minutes following an early disallowed goal scored by Cole Palmer. It was Nicolas Jackson who gave the Blues the lead, converting Pedro Neto’s well-directed cross from inside the penalty area.
Newcastle equalised less than 15 minutes later, through Alexander Isak. The Swedish striker was picked out by former Chelsea academy star Lewis Hall and tapped home from inside the six-yard box completely unchallenged.
The Blues retook the lead in the second half, with Palmer getting his goal. Driving at the Magpies defence, the England international lashed a shot from just inside the area and beat Nick Pope at his near post, scoring what turned out to be the winner.
It was a disappointing day at the office for Newcastle, although there were a couple of good performances on show despite the result.
Newcastle’s best players vs. Chelsea
Perhaps the best player in a black and white striped shirt on Sunday afternoon was Hall. After spending last term on loan at the club, the 20-year-old completed a permanent move to St James’ Park for upwards of £35m over the summer.
It is fair to say that he stood out for Howe’s side, and received an 8/10 rating at fulltime from Lee Ryder, chief Newcastle writer for Chronicle Live. He explained that the young fullback ‘impressed’ throughout and put on a ‘good attacking show’ in front of his former home fans.
Another standout player for the Magpies against Chelsea was midfielder Sandro Tonali. The Italian international impressed in the midfield and received a 7/10 from Ryder, who described him as a ‘creative force’.
Isak was another player who received a commendable rating at full-time. The former Real Sociedad was also given a 7/10, although squandered a golden chance for an equaliser with the score at 2-1 despite his goal.
Whilst there were a few of Howe’s players who performed well against Enzo Maresca’s side, it was a disappointing outing for several others. That includes Miguel Almiron, who struggled to make an impact in attack.
Almiron’s stats vs. Chelsea
It has been a slow start to the 2024/25 campaign for Paraguay forward Almiron. The 30-year-old has played seven times in all competitions so far but has yet to register a goal or assist. The game in West London was his first Premier League start of the season, but he failed to impress.
The former Atlanta United forward simply did not get into the game, and his stats on Sofascore reflect just how poor of a performance it was. The winger had just 19 touches, far fewer than Pope’s 51, for instance. He failed to create a chance, lost possession six times and completed just eight passes.
Stat
Number
Touches
19
Pass accuracy
62%
Passes completed
8/13
Duels won
1/4
Number of times possession lost
6
Fouls
1
Chances created
0
Thus, it may not be a surprise that Ryder gave him a rating of just 4/10. The journalist described it as a ‘disappointing outing’, explaining that he ’caused Chelsea no real issues”. Almiron was substituted in the 68th minute as a result.
After a disappointing display against Chelsea, Howe may well decide to drop Almiron ahead of such a big run of fixtures. His impact on the game was poor and with other options in the squad, with Anthony Gordon set to return from injury, Howe could decide to rotate the Paraguayan forward out of the side ahead of a crucial run.
Newcastle have a big run of fixtures coming up, as they look to turn around their poor form. Next up in the Premier League, the Magpies face title challengers Arsenal, before a trip to high-flying Nottingham Forest awaits.
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