Chelsea earned a much-needed 3-2 victory over Newcastle United on Monday evening.
Nicolas Jackson gave the Blues a first-half lead but Alexander Isak equalised on the stroke of half-time. Chelsea led 3-1 in the second half thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Mykhailo Mudryk, but Jacob Murphy’s strike set up a nail-biting conclusion as Mauricio Pochettino’s side clung on.
Chelsea’s win over Newcastle was their first in the league since a 3-1 triumph over Crystal Palace on February 12. The success did not propel Pochettino’s squad into the top half, but they are now only four points behind West Ham, who hold the final assured European position in eighth.
And the Blues’ dressing room was justifiably happy with a crucial victory over Eddie Howe’s side in the race for Europe. Here’s how some of the players responded following the game…
Nicolas Jackson: “Let’s go for more lads.”
Axel Disasi: “Already born. Thank you to the staff for working so hard on my birthday. We keep pushing. Go Blues, and thank you for all your messages!”
Raheem Sterling: “Important victory. Let’s continue to build @Chelseafc.”
Following the victory, Pochettino stated, “I think we need to understand we are in Chelsea, and of course when you are in a completely different project, some people can be confused.” When people refuse to listen, it is challenging, but we are attempting to convey that we are in a different Chelsea, constructing something new, and that it will undoubtedly be difficult.
“It’s about believing, even when you’re in a difficult situation, such as when we were playing in the final for 120 minutes, then playing in the FA Cup three days later against Brentford.” In six days, we played three extremely difficult games with almost the same team, and the guys were exhausted.
“Today was amazing to see the players fighting, performing, maybe not brilliantly, but caring about the club, and ultimately defeating a side that was competing for the Premier League, the top four, and the Champions League last season. And this season has good players; it’s not simple since Newcastle is a really good squad. Great credit to the team and everyone.”
