Newcastle 4-1 Chelsea: 3 Blues talking points

However, Chelsea players displayed immaturity, notably Reece James, who received a second yellow for holding back Anthony Gordon. While it may be deemed soft, halting a counter while on a yellow inevitably leads to consequences. James’ second yellow isn’t exactly what I’m highlighting here, but it’s the way he picked up the first yellow, kicking the ball and letting his frustration get the best of him. The 23-year-old skipper still has much more to learn, and unfortunately, this is a significant learning opportunity at a bad time.

Back to square one

Like I’ve said from the start, Chelsea took one step forward and many more steps back after this pathetic performance. After the Aston Villa loss back in September, CFC picked up some form, securing big three points against Fulham and Burnley, as well as advancing to the next round of the Carabao Cup after beating Brighton. Chelsea faced a significant test against Arsenal, performed admirably, and Chelsea fans thought it was a turning point, a momentum shift, some may say. However, it all crumbled after falling to Brentford at home.

Following the Brentford loss, the Blues embarked on another unbeaten streak with wins against Blackburn in the EFL Cup, as well as defeating Spurs and rescuing a point in the dying minutes against league leaders Manchester City, scoring eight goals in the process against the two top clubs. Chelsea fans entered the international break excited for what was to come, facing a Newcastle team rumored to be missing key players or at least just returning from injury. Lo and behold, the momentum ended, and all the hard work was thrown straight out of the window.