Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes fired Newcastle a step closer to Champions League qualification as 10-man Chelsea’s hopes were dealt a significant blow on Tyneside.
Tonali’s second-minute strike and Bruno’s deflected effort at the death secured a 2-0 victory at St James’ Park on a day when the visitors had to cope with a numerical disadvantage for 55 minutes after striker Nicolas Jackson was sent off for elbowing Sven Botman.
In truth, the Blues made a much better fist of it with 10 than they had with 11, and it took fine second-half saves from Nick Pope to deny Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez an equaliser which might have proved so costly.
Eddie Howe’s men moved back into third place as a result with just two games remaining, leaving Chelsea, who will be without Jackson for the rest of their domestic campaign, looking over their shoulder.
Howe shuffled his pack to hand Botman a first start since February at the heart of a three-man defence with Jacob Murphy lining up at right wing-back in the absence of the injured Kieran Trippier, while Enzo Maresca named the same starting line-up for the third successive league game.
The Italian saw his team fall behind within two minutes of kick-off as the Magpies drew first blood.
Tonali robbed Romeo Lavia on the edge of the penalty area and the ball was fed across to Murphy on the right, and his cross was turned past keeper Robert Sanchez by the Italy international.
The Magpies continued to look the more threatening with Guimaraes sending a 13th-minute volley over after good work by Harvey Barnes down the right.
But keeper Nick Pope was relieved to see Cole Palmer’s shot deflected wide seconds later after his initial attempt had been blocked and, as Lavia and Jackson started to pull the strings, the visitors built a momentum.
However, their task grew in difficulty 12 minutes before the break when Jackson led with his elbow as he challenged Botman for a high ball and although referee John Brooks initially awarded only a yellow card, he was advised to review the decision and upgraded it to a red.
Sanchez collected Dan Burn’s downward header from Barnes’ 43rd-minute cross with some comfort but the Londoners made it to the break without further damage.
Maresca replaced wide-man Noni Madueke with Reece James at the break and Pope had to field a speculative effort from Palmer with the 10 men rallying, although they remained understandably vulnerable on the counter.
Newcastle were content to allow Chelsea possession and backed themselves to defend whatever they could throw at them, but Pope had to get down well to palm away Cucurella’s 61st-minute strike.
Enzo Fernandez’s rising effort was well tipped over by Pope with seven minutes left on the clock and James looped a late header too high in an increasingly fractious affair.
Guimaraes settled the nerves and the game in the final minute of normal time when his shot was deflected over the helpless Sanchez by substitute Malo Gusto to make it 2-0.
PA
