Suggests the darkness is beginning to end… Newcastle 2 Chelsea 2

Newcastle 2 Chelsea 2 – December 20, 2025 12:30 pm

So the day before the winter solstice, which suggests that the darkness is beginning to end. With last week’s derby performance still casting a dark shadow, it would be nice to see a few more rays of light after the Carabao progress started to heal a few wounds in midweek.

It felt distinctly wintery from the early kick-off, but United quickly warmed everyone up.

An explosive start brought quick rewards as there were only three minutes left on the clock when we took the lead.

Gordon won the ball with a nice tackle in midfield and Bruno spread the ball to Murphy. His first delivery found the onrushing Gordon at the back post and where I sit the whole room went up to celebrate the goal. However, Sánchez had managed a rather fortunate save on his thigh and it was Woltemade’s successor who actually found the net.

A similar collaboration would increase the lead by 20 minutes. With the majority of United players moving forward for a free-kick in midfield, Hall passed the ball to Gordon on the left, where he is beginning to rediscover the art of dropping back onto his right foot. He delivered a poor curling ball, which Woltemade applied a deft touch to guide it past Sánchez for his first NUFC brace.

This was a huge lifesaver for Big Nick after his accident last weekend and his comments of support from the field and the wider community are a credit to the club and the city. This can only boost the striker’s confidence and boost his future contributions.

One can only hope that Nick and anyone who wants to do their best for our club, stays far away from the hysteria of the chronic online, where reason and sensitivity are in short supply. Nine goals so far for an attacker who is new to the competition is a fantastic return.

It was almost an excellent first-half hat-trick for the German when he got on the end of a blistering Gordon cross at full speed, directing his effort narrowly wide when it would have been game over.

Gordon had his best game in a long time, as he fluctuates frustratingly between flashes of his imperious former self (Leverkusen) and a woefully ineffective passenger (the Mackems). His strong performance lifted the team and he perhaps should have done better when his blistering strike was turned around by Sánchez. Gordon had space to take his place while Gusto remained on the ground behind him, with Chelsea saying their playmaking ability was not rewarded. More about that later.

A beautiful first half, but United would rue the missed opportunities. Within minutes of the second half, Palmer bought himself a free-kick in a threatening position (which we can’t complain about as it’s a tactic we use regularly). Ramsdale found themselves in a terrible conundrum as both Palmer and James stood over the fairly central step, with an option for the left or right corner. James crossed the wall with his right foot and it was perfectly placed for the bottom corner.

The key moment came almost immediately from kick-off. As Gordon charged full force into the box, Chalobah came rushing in and grabbed his legs. No ball, full contact, clear in the penalty area. The referee didn’t have a good picture, but the fact that neither the linesman nor the VAR got this clear decision right is inexcusable and ultimately cost us two points.

This was an irritant of the afternoon as an earlier tackle by Garnacho on Ramsey looked a straight red on replay, and the match ended with VAR failing to award a red to James and a threatening final free-kick to United for a clear withdrawal with Barnes through on goal. Chelsea’s constant barracking of the referees and dirty play did not deliver the punishment it deserved, and that was what cost us. Andy Madley was roundly booed at the end, although VAR was just as guilty, if not more so.

Of course it was a draw. Gordon must take some of the blame as a great chance to make it 3-1 was wasted when he weakly sent a cross to Sánchez when the penalty area was full. The keeper produced a great throw to Joao Pedro, who swallowed a clever header and took advantage of an unfortunate stumble from Thiaw. Pedro went one-on-one against Ramsdale and I can’t shake the feeling that Nick Pope would have done better in this scenario.

Here is a perfect illustration of where NUFC stands.

The player who scored the equalizer is someone we wanted, chased and agreed a fee for. Instead he signed for Chelsea. This was because they simply had a lot more money and could a) offer higher wages to him and his greedy agent and b) justify their status as a more likely trophy winner because of the money they had to spend. Newcastle are around £700m behind Chelsea in terms of turnover (over the three-year period used for PSR) and trying to compete with them is a fraught die that takes exceptional skill to navigate. This is the biggest problem holding us back and it will continue to happen regardless of the manager. The solution must be commercial growth and that is likely to depend on a new site coming up in at least five years. So no matter how much whining there is, Newcastle United still have some catching up to do.

This is not total forgiveness for Eddie Howe. The derby performance was, as Bruno correctly identified, a shambles. The away form has been shocking and once again points have been lost from a winning position, the thirteen have been wasted so far, the difference between us leading the league and our current eleventh place.

The biggest criticism has been the impact of the summer signings, as only Thiaw and Woltemade have landed so far. Wissa looked good again on his second-half debut (and could well be the catalyst for this season’s turnaround), but the main call-outs have been almost £100m spent on Elanga and Ramsey.

Ramsey played his best game today, but still feels like he hasn’t fully influenced the team. Given his late signing and his injury early in the season, I would suggest he has the benefit of time. Elanga is worried. He looked bereft of confidence and the crowd was on his back as a lumbering wanderer moments after his introduction saw possession lost. He then made a strong run down the left but sent a poor effort wide with Wissa and Barnes free in the centre, the former shouting at Elanga for his costly poor decision.

The hope must be that at this point the previously unavailable or disappointing click will contribute to a positive second half of the season that can still produce something great. We now have our biggest rest period until the end of February, with a whopping six days between the Chelsea game and the Boxing Day trip to Old Trafford. Here are a few positives leading up to that.

Firstly, I would urge everyone to try and not overreact when something goes wrong in Salford. After Man Utd we have a run of eight games in all competitions, six of which are at home and the other two against the bottom two sides of the league. This provides a great opportunity to form a run, not to mention the recovery that the lack of travel brings. By the end of January, when this is over, we will be in a better place to assess progress in all four competitions.

Secondly, we all went in today panicking about the full-back situation. Lewis Hall was back and excellent, and will certainly benefit from that great six-day break, but the real revelation is Miley at right-back. Garnacho was firmly in the pocket and Miley’s calm, intelligent defensive play was a delight, if only Jacob Murphy hadn’t had a bad day before him. There were some good performances, but Miley gets my player of the match (unless the rules can be relaxed so I can give it to Mickey Van De Ven).

The result (and the lead) left a bitter taste as I headed to Lane 7 for Christmas darts and drinks with the boys, but this was a fine performance and there are indeed reasons to be cheerful as we approach the new year, with semi-finals and European trips on the early agenda.

Keep the faith and Merry Christmas everyone.

Newcastle 2 Chelsea 2 – December 20, 2025 12:30 pm

Match statistics

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Woltemade 4, 20

Chelsea:

James 49, Peter 66

Possess was Newcastle 47% Chelsea 53%

Total shots were Newcastle 11 Chelsea 13

Shots on target were Newcastle 5 Chelsea 4

Corners were Newcastle 6 Chelsea 4

Touches in the opposition box Newcastle-22 Chelsea-22

Newcastle team at Chelsea:

Ramsdale, Miley, Thiaw, Schar, Hall, Ramsey (Willock 89), Tonali, Bruno, Jacob Murphy (Elanga 73), Gordon (Barnes 72), Woltemade (Wissa 73)

Unused subs:

Ruddy, Joelinton, Alex Murphy, Shahar, Neave

You can follow the author on BlueSky @bigjimwinsalot.bsky.social