Isaac Hayden scores late winner as Newcastle steal victory in tight Chelsea clash
Shock win for Newcastle
This is Newcastle's first 90th-minute winner in a Premier League match since Dec 2015 v Spurs (Ayoze Perez).
FULL TIME
And that's it! Newcastle steal the three points with a late winner and changes a dull match into a massive win. What a finish.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!
HAYDEN'S WON IT FOR NEWCASTLE!
Newcastle 1 Chelsea 0
They win a corner, take their time over it, Willian heads away and Saint-Maximin hooks a brilliant ball into the area onto Hayden's head. The goalie can't come for it, it's inside six yards and that gives Newcastle the points!
90 mins+2 - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Chelsea trying to mix things up with little flicks and one-twos around the area but Newcastle still defending really well and getting everything away.
Hudson-Odoi tries a top corner hit from the corner of the box but again it's struck high over the bar.
90 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Almiron dances on the spot, swings the ball over to the opposite side and Saint-Maximin touches the ball on to Joelinton to shoot. He takes a swipe but pulls the shot harmlessly wide. That was probably Newcastle's last chance.
87 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Chelsea really piling on the pressure, Newcastle defending with everybody in the box. This has been a very disciplined, organised performance from Bruce's side and a point would be thoroughly decent. Still a little while to go - players can't switch off now.
85 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Chelsea surge forwards with numbers, Willian carries the ball down the right with space to attack and cuts back to the edge of the area behind absolutely everyone. It's an awful pass but does set up Emerson for a shot from outside the area... which takes a deflection. The corner is cleared, Emerson is on the right wing and cuts inside, does a step over and goes down in the area next to Sean Longstaff! Penalty? No! The referee books Emerson for a dive.
83 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Hudson-Odoi nearly pulls off a Marseille turn at pace on the edge of the box that would have sent the defender to an unknown universe had it worked. He remains on earth as the ball just isn't carried during the spin. Chelsea by far the most likely to find a winner here but crosses into the box aren't quite working. Newcastle should be tired by now and gaps may open up.
81 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
EXCITEMENT! Jorginho spots Azpilicueta's run into the box and he heads the ball to Abraham, who stretches to head it back across goal and beats Dubravka... but it's cleared off the line. That's his last chance on goal too, as Batshuayi comes on to replace him.
78 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
The year is 2078, there are still no goals in Newcastle vs Chelsea.
75 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
James is injured and has to go off. Azpilicueta is going to right-back, Emerson will go on at left-back.
73 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
I mean what are Chelsea supposed to do here? It's like Joelinton is playing his own game, wandering around up front 20 yards from the nearest teammate.
That encourages Chelsea to come forward, which tightens the Newcastle spring and sets up a counter. Both sides need to be careful as a result.
Abraham has just read a deflected pass in behind the defence, taken it round the goalkeeper and missed an open goal at the near post. Difficult chance to take.
70 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
James collides with Clark and puts his arm straight away asking for a physio. Not sure what part of his body he's injured but he's a big lad and bashed into the defender at a fair speed.
68 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Newcastle try to break as Chelsea tighten their grip on the match but Joelinton can't get the ball through to Saint-Maximin, who would have been clean behind the defence.
Newcastle ping the ball around nicely but Azpilicueta cuts out a pass down the wing.
Mount is taken off to be replaced by Barkley.
65 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Abraham is convinced Chelsea should have a penalty after one of those generic 'ball swung into box hits defender near their arm' type situations. Hudson-Odoi takes the corner but nothing comes of it and then Newcastle try to break... until a forward pass hands possession back to Chelsea.
Newcastle have had 32 per cent of possession today.
62 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Newcastle are unbeaten in their last seven home league games when level at half time (W4 D3) since a 0-1 loss against Arsenal on the opening day.
That shot from Shelvey was Newcastle's first shot on target of the game.
60 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Kante is bored and decides to shoot from 30 yards. The crowd is quiet. Saint-Maximin tries to dribble past two players, turns back, then back again, looks for a pass and puts the ball straight out for a throw. Chelsea doing all the attacking but being kept outside the box.
Joelinton drops back to help defend, holds the ball, plays a one-two and bursts away into the Chelsea half. Shelvey shoots from range and Chelsea have possession again.
57 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
A nice sequence of passes in the final third and Azpilicueta fires a powerful effort at goal which is saved.
Hayden is booked for a late slide tackle on Mount.
55 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Huge chance for Chelsea! Newcastle attack but a loose pass results in a three v two for Chelsea with Willian wide in miles of space. The ball is played slightly behind where it needed to, slowing the move down and meaning Willian had less room to manoeuvre but he ends up dragging his shot wide of the far post anyway. Mount and Willian have been off with their final action tonight.
52 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
That might be the mistake! Hayden gets a pass all wrong and Chelsea have three players running against three Newcastle defenders! Newcastle players rush back, Abraham leads the charge, passes sideways to Mount but his first touch is poor and gives the defender a chance to block him... and the chance is gone.
50 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Chelsea spot a couple of gaps in the defence and rush forwards but Mount is off balance as he tries to thread a pass in behind and Newcastle win possession.
Joelinton does really well to shield the ball and keep his team in the Chelsea half despite nobody offering a passing option as he turns back and forwards.
48 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Chelsea's full-backs pushing high up the pitch from the start, Willian kills a switched pass with a superb first touch but is unable to work space for a shot.
KICK OFF 2
I'm expecting more of the same. Newcastle may try to look for Saint-Maximin more often, Chelsea need to be careful they don't over commit players while trying to break down the low block.
What needs to change
Chelsea aren't doing badly, neither are Newcastle. Bruce's side are sitting deep so they can hit Chelsea on the counter-attack and won't want to change what they're doing, and Chelsea can't exactly speed up their passing since there's no space to get the thing forward. This one could stay quiet until there's a mistake that opens things up, and then it turns into a decent match.
HALF TIME
A late flurry of Chelsea attacks, a spoiled Newcastle breakaway quick free-kick and the half comes to an end.
I feel like this video nicely sums up the game so far.
45 mins+2 - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Really quiet in St James' Park. Chelsea passing around, unable to take risks because Newcastle are so deep but kept just far enough away that crossing into the area won't yield chances. A corner is caught by Dubravka.
43 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Mount doesn't get a decent connection on the shot and Joelinton heads it wide for a corner. That ends up back with the Chelsea goalkeeper.
42 mins -Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
A promising Chelsea move ends with Mount heading over from the penalty spot.
Almiron fouls Jorginho a few metres from the area which will give Mount a great chance to shoot.
39 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Newcastle hurl a free-kick into the area and head it over. Chelsea keep walking the ball to half way and then pass it on but Newcastle drop deep and close the space. It's going to take a mistake or something special to open them up.
36 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Nothing's really happening so here's a stat:
No Premier League side has made more first-half substitutions this season than Newcastle (5).
34 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
A moment of excitement as Abraham hits the bar after running onto a knock down by... Kante?! He wins headers too?! Cheat player. Unbelievable. Anyway, Abraham was offside so none of this matters.
James has just played an absolutely incredible through-ball to Kante behind the Newcastle defence. The Frenchman runs beyond the last man, has to come inside from an angle and shoots at the near post, which is blocked by the goalie and bounces clear.
31 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Abraham tries a shot from 30 yards but balloons it over the bar.
A lot of Chelsea's play is coming down the right wing. James getting a lot of the ball.
28 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Very end to end without any chances being created. Newcastle way more in the game now, which suits both sides.
25 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Some great passing from Newcastle as they turn defence into attack, Shelvey spraying a beautiful sliced ball across the pitch to keep the move going. This is better from Newcastle, who are getting into decent areas in the final third.
23 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Newcastle win a free-kick 40 yards from goal, Ritchie hits it towards the box and Chelsea try to break but can't keep the ball.
Newcastle keep up the pressure, the cross goes in early from wide right and JOELINTON IS THERE! OFF THE BAR! A header is crashed off the bar and Chelsea survive! Brilliant ball in.
21 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Kfrath overlaps as Newcastle adventure forwards but Kepa climbs to win a cross away from Shelvey.
Saint-Maximin gets on the ball wide left and everyone gets excited. A couple of stepovers, a burst of speed past the full-back and then he sends a shot towards the roof of the stadium, which as you may be aware doesn't benefit the team. At least he's had a go.
18 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Another Newcastle player is down in pain in the centre circle as Chelsea get the ball forward towards the goalkeeper. Dubravka comes off his line to close it down but misses and is lucky that the bounces doesn't land with Hudson-Odoi for a tap in to an empty net.
Hayden is the player who has gone down and may have twisted his ankle or something similar. The physio looks over to Bruce as Hayden hobbles off the pitch. He might be able to run this one off but will be at 70% capacity until he isn't feeling the pain and that might lead to a proper injury. Things not going to plan for Newcastle but Hayden is back on the pitch now.
15 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Mount runs into the area and sends a ball across the goal but it goes all the way out to the sidelines, where Hudson-Odoi cleverly wins a throw-in. Chelsea dominating possession at the moment with 68 per cent of it. That won't change.
12 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Willems is stretchered off :-(
11 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Hudson-Odoi turns Willems, who goes down howling in pain and looks to have done something seriously bad to his knee. He's squirming around the pitch, signalled to the bench immediately that he was goosed and is going to have to come off. Luckily for Newcastle, Matt Ritchie is just back from a similarly serious injury and can come on.
The physio's working on Willems but no amount of magic in any number of sponges is fixing a gubbed knee. Poor guy.
8 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Azpilicueta tries a hit from 25 yards but it's blocked, because Newcastle have the usual eight million people behind the ball. They just need one break for the plan to work though, nothing wrong with how Bruce has set them up.
5 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
Newcastle get the ball into Chelsea's half but a deep cross from wide right gives Saint-Maximin no chance of doing anything useful and he heads behind.
3 mins - Newcastle 0 Chelsea 0
I absolutely hate when referees give free-kicks for defenders going to ground as they wait for a chasing player to get too tight. It's so weak. Kante runs behind Clark, who looks big enough to eat Kante, and the defender flops right in front of the linesman, who also buys it. Like... they must know.
Chelsea on the attack from the start, Newcastle defending exactly as deep as you'd expect.
KICK OFF!
Here come the players
Black and white stripes vs blue is a great colour clash too, really important. Red vs blue is still the best but I'll absolutely black and white vs blue. Or vs red. I just like colours.
Steve Bruce interview
We've been up against itthe last few weeks. I've never seen anything like at Leicester where we lost four players in the same game.
Will Joelinton be amazing now he's scored?
Usually it does happen with strikers, the fella's been having a tough time especially when you're a big signing wearing the number nine shirt, so let's hope it's done the trick.
Awfully small visitor changing room
Not as glamorous as some of the changing rooms you get. Some of the newer stadiums have rooms nicer and bigger than my entire flat.
Newcastle return to 5-4-1
Saint-Maximin is back! Expect lots of running, no passing and heaps of fun. His inclusion in the starting XI means Newcastle are back in a 5-4-1, which attacks as a 5-2-3 (or more accurately a 3-4-3) with Almiron and Saint-Maximin responsible for causing havoc in the final third. The boy is seriously fast but is clearly raw and in need of coaching to turn into the player he could be. He gets the team forward and draws defenders away but without a final ball or shot, he's a bit of a cannonball. Still, he's great entertainment and can only get better!
Starting lineups
Howay the lads
Howay the lads indeed, and ladies, as Newcastle welcome Chelsea to St James' Park for the evening game in today's set of fixtures. Frank Lampard's side are trying to keep up with the top three but can expect a difficult match against a team permanently ready to counter-attack.
Newcastle sit behind the ball and break at pace, with Miguel Almiron the most likely to cause problems for Chelsea's centre-backs, who tend to push high up the pitch as the team squeezes the game. That could leave space in behind for the long Newcastle pass.
Steve Bruce has tweaked his usual 5-4-1 to a 5-3-2 in recent weeks but it hasn't worked particularly well and Chelsea are definitely the favourites.
The table won't change for Chelsea today but three points would look really good on Newcastle. It's important that Chelsea go hard from the start to get that opening goal or this could turn into an attack vs defence training style match.
Updates and analysis to follow!
