Chelsea v Newcastle United match report, highlights and post match videos.

Posted on May 16th, 2011 | 4 Comments |

It was Newcastle Gutierrez and Ameobi who kicked off the game, but Chelsea youngster, McEachran managed to win possession of the ball almost straight away. Though his eventual pass to Ashley Cole was cut out, they were soon back on the ball again. After a dangerous ball by Ivanovich running across the face of goal, the ball eventually went for a corner. Lampard whipped it in to the nearside post, with Fernando Torres picking it up to and helping it along into the six yard box. Some very poor defending on Newcastle’s part, especially a sleepy Gutierrez enabled Chelsea’s Ivanovich to volley the ball past Krul in the Newcastle goal with his knee, and sadly, the Magpies were a goal down within three minutes! Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle United.

Some Newcastle fans might have been forgiven for thinking that a fairly comprehensive beating would follow at this point, but fortunately it didn’t. Around seven minutes later, a mixture of gamesmanship, a fairly decent free kick, and finally a vital piece of luck in the form of Gutierrez’s backside insured that Newcastle’s early defensive mistake was soon cancelled out. John Terry’s foul on Peter Lovenkrands around twenty five yards from the Chelsea gave the Magpies a free kick. After a fair big of fannying around from Ryan Taylor in his preparation for the resulting set piece, during which I’m sure he managed to steal a few yards with the shot, he was ready. Taylor’s effort was decent enough, aimed low to the right hand corner of the goal. Though well covered by Cech in the Chelsea goal, he commited then found himself completely wrongfooted when the ball took a cruel and massive deflection for Chelsea via Guti’s jacksee, and Newcastle were even in what was a very exciting first ten minutes for what was supposed to be a something of a dead game for both sides. Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle United.

In Chelsea’s star studded line up, it was less familair youngster, Josh McEachran who was shining alongside his more illustrious teammates in the Chelsea midfileld. Despite his earlier mistake, Coloccini was doing some very good work in keeping the ‘Pensioners’ at bay. On the balance of things, Chelsea were still dominating proceedings slightly and looked a lttle more ‘balanced’, they were making a few mistakes though to give the Magpies hope of possibly even taking the lead. After seventeen minutes Cech failed to clear the ball under pressure from Ameobi, leaving the ‘Fenham Eusebio’ only a cruel bounce away from a tap in into a gaping goal.

Generally though, things gradually started to become somewhat more pedestrian after the opening brace of goals, and the game did indeed slowly start to get the flavour of a rather dull end of season encounter. Chelsea were winning quite a few corners, but couldn’t capitalise in the way they did for their first goal. As the first half whistle loomed, there was a particularly scary moment for Newcastle though, with Barton taking too much time over clearing the ball from the Newcastle box, eventually losing possession to Chelsea’s Ramires, who works a opening for Torres. Thankfully for the Magpies though, Torres still looked like a tentative shadow of his former self in the dangerzone, and he eventually found himself outmuscled by Newcastle’s defence.

As the second half commenced with Lampard and Torres opening proceedings, Chelsea came out on the attack and were on top, though proceedings were still somewhat dull overall and Chelsea failed to make the most of their chances. Lampard was deservedly booked for a nasty little challenge on Barton, and shortly after that Ivanovich was booked too for a late challenge on a fleet of foot Shane Ferguson. A brace of free kicks for the Magpies helped to bring them back into the game a little, the ffirst one being a decent, on target effort once again from Ryan Taylor. Cech was up to the job of saving it though with a good stop. Taylor’s second effort, a thirty yard or so strike after a mistimed McEachran tackle on Lovenkrands, only found the Chelsea wall. McEachran then gave away a third free kick for tripping Barton and it was Newcastle who were providing pressure. For the final one, Barton decided that it was his turn to have a crack, but his effort was ratger high and rather poor.

In the middle of Barton’s 67th minute free kick, Chelsea manager, Carlo Ancellotti, decided to make a mass substitution, with McEachran Yossi Benayoun and Ramires being replaced by big guns, Florent Malouda, Michael Essien and Didier Drogba in an attempt to break the deadlock. However the stalemate carried on, at least for now.

In the 72nd minute, it was Alan Pardew’s turn to change things around a bit, as Shane Ferguson is brought off for treatment to be replaced by Kazenga Lua Lua. It was a creditable performance overall by Ferguson as he continued his efforts to break through into Newcastle’s first eleven.

A couple of minutes after that there was a bit of a scare for the Magpies as Chelsea were awarded a free kick for an Enrique shirtpull on Anelka. The Drogba free kick pierces the Newcastle defence in what was a very good effort, but no blue shirts could get on to it. Simpson was then booked for a foul on Essien as Chelsea’s pressure continued. Coloccini managed to fend off a cross from Ashley Cole when for once, it may have been better for Cole to have a go himself.

Then Terry headed over as the pressure continued, and Alan Pardew decided to make his second substitution, with perennial late imact sub, Nile Ranger being brought on for Gutierrez in the 78th minute.

In the 81st ninute, Newcastle thretened as a good cross from Enrique inpired Lovenkrands to try an overhead kick at the other end at the other end. It was a decent effort but slightly wide of the mark.

After a booking for Enrique, for a late challenge on Anelka, Pardew decided to bring on the other Ameobi, Sammy to give him a bit of a run out as the clock ticked down on the game, a game which was far from over yet! It was slightly afyer this when Chelsea scored what I’m sure many at the time thought was going to be the one that decided the game. A Lampard free kick was missed by Krul in the Newcastle United goal, leaving Alex to head the ball home at the back post and it seemed to be all over for the Magpies with only five or so minutes plus extra time for Newcasrle to find a reply. Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle United.

Their heads didn’t go down though. Frustratingly, the ball was in Chelsea’s half too often as Newcastle desperately tried to make one final charge on Chelsea’s goal. At last though, in the very last seconds of the game, Newcastle desperately launched their last attack. It was a move which ended when Newcastle’s Steven Taylor managed to leap like a salmon from a melee in the Chelsea box, connecting with a fine Nile Ranger header across the face if goal for a great finish to give the most exciting end possible to what had been a fairly dull encounter overall. Chelsea 2-2 Newcastle United.

The Magpies finally managed to snatch a draw fron the jaws of defeat!

Howay the lads!

Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Ivanovic, Alex, Terry, Cole; Ramires, McEachran, Lampard; Anelka, Benayoun, Torres.

Subs: Turnbull, David Luiz, Essien, Drogba, Mikel, Malouda, Ferreira.

Newcastle (4-4-2): Krul; Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Jose Enrique; Gutierrez, Barton, Ryan Taylor, Ferguson; Shola Ameobi, Lovenkrands.

Subs: Soderberg, Smith, LuaLua, Ranger, Tavernier, Kuqi, Sammy Ameobi.

Referee: Lee Mason.

Match highlights. I shall endeavour to update these with longer and better ones when they are available.

Post match interviews.

Newcastle United manager, Alan Pardew, sounds well pleased with the team’s performance overall with what was to some extent a “makeshift” side.

Chelsea manager, Carlo Ancelloti, bemoans his isde’s lack of concentration.

NUFCBlog Author: workyticket workyticket has written 1095 articles on this blog.

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