Reece James Saw Red as Chelsea Got Humiliated by Newcastle

Photocredit: Sky Sports

Chelsea's poor run of form continued on Saturday as they were thrashed 4-1 by Newcastle United at St. James' Park. The match was a highly competitive one as both teams played well, but it was Chelsea who went away as losers.

Newcastle took the lead in the 13th minute of first half when Alexander Isak fired home a shot over Sanchez from a Lewis Miley's perfectly-timed throughball. Chelsea equalized through a wonderful free-kick from Sterling who lifted his shot up and over the wall, and a static Pope could only watch as the ball nestled into the near top corner to make it 1-1. The Magpies got the lead again in the second half when Jamal Lascelles thumps a header into the back of the net in the 60th minute. In less than a minute Newcastle doubled their advantage when Joelinton pounced on a mistake from Chelsea defender Thiago Silva to score to make it 3-1.

Chelsea's misery was compounded when Reece James was sent off for a second bookable offense in the 73rd minute. The dismissal summed up a frustrating afternoon for the Blues who were hoping to continue their winning streak haven won their last three matches in the Premier League, and they've lost just one of their last eight matches in all competitions.

Chelsea were indebted to goalkeeper Sanchez, who made a number of good saves to keep the score down. However, even he could not prevent Newcastle from claiming a deserved victory.

There were a number of reasons why Chelsea performed lost against Newcastle. Firstly, they were far too open at the back and allowed Newcastle to create a number of chances. Secondly, their attack was toothless and they struggled to create clear-cut opportunities.

Finally, they were let down by some individual errors, such as Thiago Silva's mistake for Newcastle's third goal.

What does this mean for Chelsea?

Chelsea's defeat to Newcastle leaves them in tenth place in the Premier League table, 14 points behind league leaders Arsenal. They will need to improve significantly if they are to challenge for a place in Europe.

What next for Chelsea?

Chelsea will be hoping to bounce back from their defeat to Newcastle when they welcome Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday before they visit Old Trafford three days later for a match with Manchester United.

Chelsea's match against Brighton will be without Reece James who plays a key role for the Blues.