Second half comeback sees Chelsea share the spoils with Newcastle
EQUALISER: Chelsea's Joao Pedro scored the equalising goal. Picture: George Wood/Getty Images
REECE James led from the front as Chelsea took advantage of Newcastle's alarming propensity to throw away leads in a classic game of two halves at St James' Park.
Enzo Maresca must have turned a salon's worth of hairdryers on his players at half-time to wake them from a slumber that looked like condemning them to sleep-walking to a routine defeat after shipping two goals inside the opening 20 minutes.
Nick Woltemade took his first steps on the road to redemption following his Wear-Tyne derby nightmare, scoring twice but crucially spurning a great chance to put the result beyond doubt before half-time.
Chelsea took full advantage of their reprieve as a stunning James free-kick halved the deficit at the outset of the second half before Joao Pedro levelled 25 minutes from time.
The only surprise was that it proved to be the final goal of a breathless contest that could easily have seen the sides share 10. Newcastle have now surrendered 13 points from winning positions this season.
Eddie Howe's side had found the net in all previous 14 home games this season and it didn't take them long to continue the streak as they took a firm grip on the game.
Anthony Gordon played a pivotal role in the fourth-minute opener, dispossessing Wesley Fofana midway inside the Chelsea half before continuing his run to meet Jacob Murphy's cross at the far post.
Robert Sanchez saved the close-range effort with his legs, but the rebound fell perfectly for the lurking Woltemade to gleefully power the ball into an empty net from six yards to further banish the memories of his costly own goal at Sunderland last week.
Newcastle should have doubled the lead almost immediately. With Malo Gusto feigning injury after deliberately running into Gordon, the midfielder had the freedom of the area to bring down Murphy's centre, but saw his fizzing shot tipped over by Sanchez.
The second goal soon arrived. Gordon was again instrumental, cutting in from the left to send an in-swinging centre into the area which Woltemade deftly redirected into the bottom corner, the German's ninth of the season standing after a lengthy VAR check for offside.
Woltemade should have had a first-half hat-trick when he again combined with Gordon to volley narrowly over in near identical circumstances to the second goal, the visitors fuming after Newcastle rightly played on when Cole Palmer became the latest Chelsea player to theatrically go down looking for a free-kick.
Chelsea desperately needed to score the third goal to have any hope and duly did so four minutes after the restart. After Palmer was fouled 25 yards from goal, James curled an exquisite free-kick over the wall and in off Aaron Ramsdale's right-hand post to spark the comeback.
Astonishingly, Trevoh Chalobah somehow escaped conceding a penalty at the other end when a needlessly robust body check left Gordon in a heap in the Chelsea area in a major let-off for the visitors to pave the way for them getting back on level terms.
Ramsdale saved well to keep out a ferocious Pedro Neto drive but the mounting pressure eventually told as Maresca's side levelled. From a long Sanchez clearance, Joao Pedro out-muscled Malick Thiaw to burst through on goal and slot his side's second beneath Ramsdale.
James proved his worth at both ends of the pitch when sliding in with a perfectly-timed challenge to deny substitute Harvey Barnes a close-range chance to restore his side's lead.
Newcastle wasted two glorious chances to win it in the final five minutes. Barnes volleyed wide of a gaping goal from Anthony Elanga's raking cross before the Swedish winger sprinted 60 yards through on goal to send an angled drive off target from Ramsdale's searching throw.
: Ramsdale 6; Miley 7, Thiaw 5, Schar 6, Hall 7; Guimaraes 6, Tonali 6, Ramsey 5 (Willock 72, 5); J Murphy 7 (Barnes 72, 5), Woltemade 8 (Wissa 72, 6), Gordon 8 (Elanga 72, 5). Booked: Schar, Wissa, Hall.
: Sanchez 6; Gusto 2 (Fernandez 54, 7), Fofana 5, Chalobah 5, Cucurella 6; James 9, Caicedo 8; Neto 7, Palmer 5 (Santos 80, 6), Garnaco 6; Pedro 7..Booked: Sanchez, Garnacho, Gusto, Caicedo, Santos, Pedro.
: Andy Madley
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