Chelsea were unable to follow up on their league victory at the weekend, as Newcastle studied up and fought back against the Blues to earn a spot in the Carabao Cup quarter finals.
A misplaced pass in defense allowed Alexander Isak in to open the scoring after only twenty minutes. Just minutes later, Axel Disasi failed to deal with a deflected Newcastle cross, turning the ball into his own net, sealing the victory for Eddie Howe's side.
It's one less competition to worry about for Enzo Maresca, who will turn his focus to Chelsea's away visit to Manchester United at the weekend.
Here's four things we learnt from this Carabao Cup game:
-
Defending still a glaring weakness
It may have been down to heavy rotation from Maresca, but Newcastle certainly went into this game with a desire to trouble Chelsea - and they succeeded in doing so.
For large periods of the first half, Chelsea were pinned back into their own half by an aggressive Magpies press. Under pressure, the Blues looked shaky and unconvincing, which allowed Newcastle to trouble their visitors.
The makeshift back three lacked pace, and this was not helped by Newcastle's Anthony Gordon making a return to the team, and exploiting the space left by the advancing Marc Cucurella.
'Keeper Filip Jorgensen - who looked to challenge Robert Sanchez for his starting spot - didn't look comfortable in this game, and made several errors when playing out from the back, including a long pass that went directly out of play.
It will be something Maresca needs to sort out, especially with some tricky games in the near future.
-
Misfiring attack a big factor in defeat
Cole Palmer and Nicholas Jackson both got on the scoresheet when Chelsea defeated Newcastle in the league just a few days ago.
Many fans would have expected more of the same, even with the eleven changes made by Maresca. However, Chelsea's attack never looked clinical in this game.
It was a poor day at the office for Christopher Nkunku and Joao Felix, who both missed several glaring chances - the worst of the bunch coming from Felix in the second half, who failed to hit the target after being played clean through by Tosin Adarabioyo.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was a surprise sight down the right-wing, but admittedly lacked the sufficient one-on-one skill and flair that Maresca enjoys. He was relieved of his duties in the second half with the introduction of Noni Madueke.
Cole Palmer was available from the bench, but was not called upon, whilst Jadon Sancho missed out through illness.
The lack of VAR in the Carabao Cup may have harmed Chelsea slightly, as there were some shouts for a penalty, but they can't be too dissatisfied, given their overall lack of effectiveness from open play.
-
Do Chelsea lack leaders?
Maresca seemed to call out Reece James last week, saying that he expected more in terms of leadership from the Blues captain.
His team is the youngest in the Premier League with an average age of just 23.8 years - many of whom are relatively new to life at Chelsea.
James was left out of the squad for this game, and other senior players in Levi Colwill and vice-captain Ben Chilwell were unused substitutes. It may have been a contributing factor to the defeat.
Enzo Fernandez was given the armband for this match, but had a quiet showing, and was far from the best player on the pitch, as he was kept quiet by an energetic and organised Newcastle midfield.
Axel Disasi has also worn the armband on a few occasions for Chelsea, but looked uncomfortable at right-back, and some defensive slip ups will not instill confidence in his teammates.
Maresca did admit that leaders in the team can be developed over time, and hopefully a handful can emerge sooner rather than later.
-
Cup exit a blessing in disguise?
The loss won't be of too much concern to Maresca. Chelsea's second half performance was a lot brighter, and they looked a lot more in control after conceding the second goal.
Chelsea are still pushing for a top four finish - Maresca will already be looking ahead to this weekend, facing a Manchester United team that looked fresh and dominant in their cup game, winning 5-2 against Leicester City.
A UEFA Conference League victory is also a priority. With the European format changing as of this season, Maresca may have been dealt two midweek fixtures on top of the weekend league games, if his side remained in the Carabao Cup.
Therefore, while the nature of the loss is somewhat concerning, Chelsea shouldn't be too discouraged, and can now focus on their two main targets for this season.
