Chelsea’s hopes of qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League suffered a potentially fatal blow as they crashed to a 2-0 defeat away to Newcastle United in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Newcastle took an early lead through a goal from Sandro Tonali in the first half, and things went from bad to worse for the Blues as Nicolas Jackson was sent off for elbowing Sven Botman in the face.
The incident meant that Chelsea had to play more than half the game with 10 players, and that significantly increased the difficulty of the task.
Though the Blues tried to fight back in the second half and had chances, they could not convert before Bruno Guimaraes’ deflected effort in the 90th minute sealed the game.
Jackson’s sending off in the first half will be remembered as the turning point in the game, and it undoubtedly tilted the match in the home side’s favour.
Speaking after the game, though, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said he was proud of his team’s efforts and spirit despite the disappointing result.
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
What Maresca had to say after the game
“In this stadium against this team, it’s already complicated, and if you give them one extra player, it’s even more difficult,’ said Maresca. ‘The red card affected the game, no doubt, but we had three big chances in the second half, which is not easy with ten men. The energy, the spirit and the togetherness of the team in the second half has been fantastic. It’s something I feel proud of.”
The result has left Chelsea’s hopes of qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League hanging by a thread, and the manager highlighted the importance of their last two league games by saying, “Now my feeling is you need to win both games [to qualify for the Champions League]”
Chelsea news and related links
