Reece James was in midfield for Chelsea against Newcastle United.
The early kick-off on Saturday gave the visitors chills.
Within three minutes an action-packed Newcastle United side had regained possession and within seconds the ball was in the back of the Chelsea net.
Gordon won the ball back and when Murphy delivered his cross down the right wing, the former Everton man saw his effort denied by the Chelsea keeper, but Nick Woltemade smashed home the rebound.
Newcastle poured over Reece James and his Chelsea teammates before United made it 2-0 after 20 minutes. Gordon gets the cross and Big Nick gets his second.
Many people saw the match as over AND it should have been over at halftime.
Instead of 2-0, a 4-0 or 5-0 halftime score would have been fair based on the performances and chances created in the first 45.
Speaking to official Chelsea media, Reece James was surprisingly honest and admitted; “Newcastle got the upper hand in every department in the first half. They won too many second balls which we had to tighten up.”
The first half also saw some terrible displays from the referee on the pitch and the VAR.
United somehow denied a penalty when Fofana handled clearly and Garnacho was only booked for a clear foul, going over the top with his studs on Ramsey without attempting to play the ball.
Four minutes after half-time it was 2-1, Reece James scored with a very good free kick, BUT from more than 30 meters away it certainly should have been saved by Ramsdale.
Reece James says that; “One goal changes the game and we knew if we scored one, the second goal would definitely be there.”
Well, it was 2-2 after 66 minutes when Thiaw defended poorly against Pedro and then slipped.
However, it could only be 2-2 as the match officials failed to award one of the most obvious penalties you could ever see. Chalobah steamrolled Gordon into the penalty area without intending to play the ball.
Eddie Howe had won all four home games against Chelsea with NUFC, with the team scoring nine goals and conceding only one. The most recent of that series was the win in May that ultimately saw Newcastle qualify for the Champions League.
Reece James reflects; “Last year (season) we came here and lost [2-0]This time, however, we were left 2-0 behind in a difficult match.”
The England player confessed how lucky Chelsea were, especially how they were picked apart in the first 45; “Given the first half, we were happy with a point.”
Reece James is also keen to say how difficult it is to get to St James’ Park and get a positive result; “It’s a tough place to get to and all the teams come here and the atmosphere gets better. We couldn’t win, but it’s important if you can’t win, don’t lose.”
Reece James can also count his lucky stars that the match officials continue their disastrous performances.
The Chelsea player challenged Harvey Barnes in the penalty area and took the man instead of the ball, but still no VAR intervention.
Barnes then got back on target with Reece James the nearest chasing player, pulling the Newcastle player back just outside the penalty area. Unbelievably no red card and no dangerous free kick directly on the edge of the penalty area.
Chelsea played better in the second half, but in reality Newcastle United should have won this by far.
What they would have done if they had taken half of their big chances and/or if the match officials had done their job properly.
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