I can’t agree with what vast majority of Newcastle United fans are saying after Chelsea cup win

The Mag

·1 de noviembre de 2024

I can’t agree with what vast majority of Newcastle United fans are saying after Chelsea cup win

Like all other Newcastle United fans, I was in a great mood when waking up this Thursday morning.

I love seeing the lads win any match we play.

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However, when it happens to be against Chelsea AND it takes us through to a cup quarter-final AND when we have been struggling for wins for some weeks.

Well, it puts it very much up there, when it comes to the kind of victories that I get a special kick out of.

However, I have to at the same time disagree with what the vast majority of Newcastle United fans are saying about this 2-0 victory.

For me, last night was little/no different to recent performances.

The only real difference was that Newcastle United took their chances and the opposition didn’t.

We have been playing pretty well since that shocking first half at Fulham but just not getting the breaks and not taking chances.

In terms of things not going Newcastle’s way recently, just look at the two goals last night.

I think the key opening goal was perfectly fine BUT I bet if that had been at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, it would have been disallowed for the Joelinton challenge that led to us winning possession and then Tonali knocking the ball through for Isak to score. Referees seem to let a fair bit more go in the cup competitions and especially when VAR isn’t operating.

As for the second killer goal only three minutes later, this is just the kind of luck Newcastle haven’t been getting! Quick thinking by Hall and Isak on the free-kick but the striker’s cross gets a fortunate deflection, which Willock does well to flick on, but then panic and mix up in the Chelsea defence sees them scoring on our behalf rather than clearing or deflected away.

At Everton the defender on the line still can’t explain how he managed to deflect Bruno’s effort around the post, James knew nothing about it when Isak’s header struck him near the goal line with the keeper beaten, against Brighton we were so on top for an hour or more but just couldn’t get the breaks.

Newcastle United have also contributed themselves to their own failure to turn good overall performances into wins. Gordon failing with a penalty and one on one with the keeper at Everton, Isak failing with a one on one against Brighton whilst Gordon could have had a hat-trick – including failing also on a one one and a free header only six yards out, at Chelsea on Sunday it was great chances again – including that one where United’s high press saw Isak in possession and rounding the keeper. However, unlike last night, the Sweden international couldn’t decide whether to score or pass to somebody else to tap it in and caught in classic two minds situation. Against Man City it was Longstaff who came on and failed to hit the target from ten yards out, whilst even at Fulham, 2-1 down and the high press sees Schar with the ball and he can either slot it past the keeper or pass it to Isak for an open goal BUT instead somehow shoots and misses the target.

As I say, as well as having no luck and fine margins going against us, our finishing has been poor in recent weeks. However… that doesn’t change the fact that against Man City, Everton, Brighton and Chelsea in the Premier League, I reckon based on the overall performances and chances created, Newcastle deserved wins over Everton and Brighton, plus at least a point against Man City and Chelsea. It really should have been 8+ points from the last four Premier League matches, not just the paltry two points that fate conspired to hand us.

That is football though, sometimes you have these runs. This is why football is the best but also the most frustrating at times, no guarantees of winning, no matter how well you play. This of course also goes the other way at times, you play terrible but take the one chance and your keeper plays the game of his life etc etc. It is not like rubbish sports like Rugby,, where the more dominant team almost always wins, a but easier when you just have to run across a line that stretches the entire width of a pitch carrying a ball, compared to having to do everything it takes to create a chance in football AND still have to hit a relatively small area PLUS a bloke standing as the last line of defence who you also have to kick it past, even if having got past all the rest of the team.

I can guarantee that if that Isak goal wasn’t allowed and the own goal hadn’t fallen for us, plus for example Felix instead putting that chance inside the post, then all the same Newcastle United fans who have been going so over the top recently, would also be now saying how rubbish Eddie Howe and his players were last night as well.

I was really happy with how our team played in this win over Chelsea and how all the individuals gave it everything. However, that for me are the levels they have been showing in those other recent games but just not getting the rewards they deserved.

It was against the Chelsea second team as well last night, an entirely different eleven to the Premier League first choice one that Newcastle faced on Sunday.

Reading comments from Chelsea fans, how confident they are in the performance and result pretty much entirely depends on whether they play Palmer or not (if say he was playing last night instead of Felix, would he have also failed with the golden chances he (Felix) had?), as he (Palmer) appears to be by a country mile their best player.

Maybe Chelsea need to start spending a bit more money…

Newcastle 2 Chelsea 0 – Wednesday 30 October 7.45pm

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Isak 23, Disasi OG 26

Chelsea:

Possession was Newcastle 35% Chelsea 65%

Total shots were Newcastle 8 Chelsea 17

Shots on target were Newcastle 2 Chelsea 4

Corners were Newcastle 1 Chelsea 9

Touches in the box Newcastle 18 Chelsea 30

Newcastle United team v Chelsea: