Cole Palmer seems to have moved around the exhibit. Chelsea are well aware of this as they once again flicked on their star’s magic lamp to secure three points against a tough Newcastle side and did everything they could to get something positive out of Stamford Bridge.
There is currently no better player in the Premier League than Palmer. Eddie Howe knows this too, as he has done everything possible to try to limit the actions of the former Manchester City player, something that seems almost impossible no matter how hard you try. The plan almost exploded in the first moments of the change. Ball into space for Palmer and goal with great ease. But it was not worth it because of a very fair offside from the ‘blue’ star.
The rivalry is beautiful. An open grave, comings and goings and in purest Premier League style. And in that context of spaces, Palmer is unstoppable. He showed it with a good pass in the 70-meter space for Neto, who helped Jackson, who was unmarked, and he did not fail with the first shot (18′), extending his great scoring records.
Despite the goal, the game continued in the same direction and logically that was a risk for Chelsea that ended up paying off. Newcastle arrived with little danger, with several deflected shots from Almirón, but a play behind Malo Gusto ended with a cross from Hall that Isak finished at will to tie (31′).
However, it was Palmer who ruled the race. Appearing in intermediate places, sometimes even if he is a midfielder, he is a constant pain for Howe. It was in vain that he tried to settle the score on Cole at half-time, as he needed only two minutes of the second half to leave his mark again. He punished a loss in Newcastle’s midfield to drive and shoot hard and low at the near post, surprising Pope (47′). And even the ‘magpie’ was lucky, because the stick immediately prevented Neto from leaving the matter almost ready for sentencing.
Chelsea became a little complacent and spent many minutes of the final stretch dominated by Newcastle, who were unable to match Isak’s miscue. It’s true that Reece James scored a header against him, but the serious thing is that he messed up the empty goal and teammates who should have passed. A surreal game for a footballer of his quality.
Chelsea woke up after that warning and also wanted to punish the fact that Newcastle went all in for the tie. Nkunku, who came in for Jackson, was able to take advantage of that fact, but he lacked the freshness the rivalry demands. He was the victim of an alleged Burn penalty that was corrected by VAR as there was none, and then he was active but inaccurate, although Chelsea didn’t need it, because they still had enough of Palmer.
match lineup
1
27
24
45
29
6
11
25
15
20
7
22
21
20
39
5
33
8
7
14
24
11
Stamford Bridge
83′
Nick Pope22
77′
Tino Livramento21
Lewis Hall20
88′
53′
71′
Bruno Guimaraes39
10′
Fabian Schär5
21′
Dan Burns33
64′
66′
Sandro Tonali8
63′
67′
Joelinton7
88′
17′
77′
Alexander Isaac14
31′
3′
46′
Miguel Almiron24
67′
87′
Harvey Barnes11
67′
Replacements
Odysseas Vlachodimos19
77′
John Ruddy26
Emil Kraft17
71′
Lloyd Kelly25
88′
66′
Jacob Murphy23
67′
Joe Willock28
67′
Sean Longstaff36
67′
89′
77′
93′
Lewis Miley67
William Osula18
88′
coach
Enzo Maresca
Eddie Howe
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
