Newcastle 2-2 Chelsea: Late Comeback Secures Draw at St James' Park
Newcastle began strongly at St James' Park, taking a 2-0 lead against Chelsea thanks to two early goals from Nick Woltemade. His first came in the 4th minute rebound from a Gordon cross, and his second was a composed finish in the 20th minute, which was confirmed by VAR to be onside.
Chelsea responded in the second half, with Reece James scoring from a free-kick to reduce the deficit. Later, Chelsea's João Pedro capitalized on a long kick from Sánchez, heading in a goal before scoring the equalizer with a calm finish.
Before halftime, Pedro Neto had a goal disallowed for handball. Late in the match, Harvey Barnes nearly leveled the game again, but a goal-saving tackle from Reece James denied him. A challenge from Trevoh Chalobah on Gordon prompted a VAR review, but no penalty or red card was given.
The game ended in a 2-2 draw, marking yet another instance where Newcastle dropped points from a winning position, having now lost 13 points this season in such situations. Chelsea showed marked improvement after a poor first half, while Newcastle struggled to maintain their lead.
