• Friday, December 27, 2024
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BusinessDay

Chelsea beat Newcastle to boost European football hopes

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Cole Palmer was hugely influential as Chelsea saw off Newcastle in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge.

Palmer struck in the 57th minute, taking a touch to get the ball out of his feet before drilling hard and low past goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.

The Blues had gone ahead early after Sven Botman’s poor clearance was pounced on by Palmer, his shot being cleverly steered into the bottom corner by Nicolas Jackson for his second goal in as many league games.

Aleksander Isak’s powerful effort from the edge of the area just before the break gave Newcastle hope before Palmer restored Chelsea’s lead.

Substitute Mykhailo Mudryk took the ball off team-mate Conor Gallagher and ran through the Newcastle defence before rounding Dubravka to finish from a tight angle.

Jacob Murphy produced a thumping finish into the top corner on the 90-minute mark but Mauricio Pochettino’s side hung on for their 11th win of the campaign.

Chelsea remain 11th in the table, with a game in hand on Newcastle who are a point and a place above them.

Newcastle started slowly and Fabian Schar sent a shot off target as home goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic was relatively untroubled for most of the match.

The away side struggled to create many opportunities in the first half with Isak’s goal their first shot on target after 43 minutes.

By this stage, Eddie Howe had lost another player to injury as Antony Gordon came off following a challenge by Marc Cucurella.

Murphy replaced Gordon and his sublime finish late on made the scoreline closer than it seemed in reality.

Head of Sports at BusinessDay Media, a seasoned Digital Content Producer, and FIFA/CAF Accredited Journalist with over a decade of sports reporting.Has a deep understanding of the Nigerian and global sports landscape and skills in delivering comprehensive and insightful sports content.

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