Newcastle 1 Chelsea 1:IT WAS a wintry trip to St James' Park for Chelsea and they then found problems in getting a flight home. Even so, the journey to come could be harder still.
Chelsea reached the top of the Premier League on April 3rd and had remained there throughout each set of matches until now. There is no longer a view from the pinnacle, just the sight of Manchester United above them. While it is not so long since the team was engaged in one long scoring spree, goals are currently rare.
The manager, Carlo Ancelotti, found a little comfort in watching his men score once here. That equaliser against Newcastle United in the 45th minute came about when Salomon Kalou took a pass from Florent Malouda and found the net with a shot that deflected off Danny Simpson.
Ten minutes from the close, the Ivorian hit the side-netting from an angle despite the fact that he was free of the defenders and goalkeeper Tim Krul. The Ivorian ought, indeed, to have put Chelsea ahead and the failure to do so was symptomatic of the frustration that besets the line-up.
Even so, this outcome was an improvement of sorts. At least the side had a reply after being unable to come up with a goal in losses to Sunderland and Birmingham City. The latter case has turned out to be misleading because it had looked at St Andrew’s, where the display was largely convincing, as if all that they lacked was a break.
There can be no such interpretation now. Ancelotti took solace from the knowledge that John Terry and Frank Lampard are about to return to training. The manager was still careful not to assume their recovery will take place without a hitch.
Lampard’s absence and goals from midfield has robbed Chelsea of potency. The manager, like Newcastle, used a 4-4-2 formation, but did not get the impact from Malouda, an outright winger, that he sought.
The only venue Chelsea could approach happily is, for the time being, Stamford Bridge. The team arrived at St James’ Park as a side that had lost its way in the League. Alex’s personal sense of direction was also out of order in the sixth minute when he knocked a pass back wide of his goalkeeper, Petr Cech. Andy Carroll was commendably alert to the situation and pursued the ball to send Newcastle into the lead and record his ninth league goal of the campaign.
The advantage was heartening for a side missing defenders through injury or suspension and Chelsea’s initial response was humdrum. Even a 36-year-old Sol Campbell, getting his first league game for Newcastle, would not have felt taxed while the visitors struggled to find even a little fluency. There was momentum later. Chelsea made more of an impression as the first-half developed.
They summoned the will to pin down Newcastle as the match entered its last phase. Even so, Chris Hughton should be happy with this showing. His men had previously conceded nine goals in the league at home, but were markedly more secure in this match irrespective of the injuries that affected the back four.
This, it has to be borne in mind, is a club in its first season back in the top flight after relegation. Given the context, progress has been good. No thought has been given to adopting a precautionary approach.
Their tally of 16 League goals at St James’ Park is now only one fewer than Arsenal’s at the Emirates, though Arsene Wenger’s side has played one fewer match at home.
The accent had never been put intentionally on defence against the reigning champions even if the centre-half Steven Taylor was fit to play for the first time since January. Newcastle’s dynamism was still being shown in a lively opening to the second half, even if they were happy enough to restrict the visitors to a draw. It had not been a distinguished game. Fatigue could eventually be detected in both line-ups and the conditions didn’t suit slick play.
For Chelsea, the spate of goals that has been reduced to a trickle is, to an extent, a faithful reflection of the reduction that has turned the team’s flow of majestic form into a trickling stream that hardly bears Chelsea forward.
Guardian Service
