Newcastle 2-2 Chelsea: James & Joao Pedro seal draw after Woltemade's first-half double
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Newcastle and Chelsea shared the points after a thrilling 2-2 draw at St. James' Park in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
Nick Woltemade made up for his own goal against Sunderland with two first-half goals against Chelsea, who secured a point after second-half strikes from Reece James and Joao Pedro.
Newcastle could've been out of sight after 45 minutes, but Chelsea's fightback ensured they avoided defeat in the north east.
Chelsea were looking for a fast start in the north east and Cole Palmer, who was one of 10 changes to the starting XI, produced an audacious dink in the opening 90 seconds, but it sailed just over Aaron Ramsdale's crossbar.
But within four minutes, Newcastle opened the scoring through Nick Woltemade, who was looking for redemption after his own goal in the Tyne-Wear derby last weekend against Sunderland.
After Wesley Fofana was dispossessed in the middle of the pitch, Jacob Murphy's cross found Anthony Gordon at the back post, which Robert Sanchez superbly denied, and it fell into the path of Woltemade who made no mistake to guide into the roof of the net.
From that moment on, Newcastle were in the ascendency and Chelsea were rattled. Gordon almost doubled the lead four minutes later, but Sanchez, who was booked for dissent shortly after, was able to match it with a fine save.
Chelsea were unable to match Newcastle's levels and Woltemade got his and Newcastle's second in the 20th minute. Gordon was able to turn provider as his cross was met by the forward, who managed to turn it into the bottom corner.
Pedro Neto thought he had halved the deficit two minutes before the interval, but his goal was ruled out for handball.
Plenty was needed to be discussed at half-time inside the Chelsea dressing room. No changes were made, but it was one of their worst 45 minutes of the season.
Chelsea needed a moment of magic to get them back into the game and captain Reece James stepped up when required. He whipped a free-kick from 30 yards out past Ramsdale, via the post, to put the Blues right back into the game.
Stepping up with a moment of quality - @ReeceJames! 🚀😮💨🔵
— Absolute Chelsea (@AbsoluteChelsea) December 20, 2025
🎥 @footballontnt pic.twitter.com/GWA4FaNAFH
Chalobah was fortunate minutes later not to concede a penalty after barging Gordon over inside the box - a moment of fortune which may turn the side at St. James' Park.
The tide was turning as Chelsea looked to complete their comeback for a leveller. Ramsdale was called into action to deny Neto, with the visitors also bringing on Enzo Fernandez for Malo Gusto to try to unlock the Newcastle defence.
And in the 66th minute, Chelsea levelled the game - and it was coming. Sanchez claimed the assist, playing a long ball to Joao Pedro, who brought the ball down and raced goalwards, before coolly slotting past Ramsdale to silence the home crowd.
Eddie Howe made three attacking changes for the hosts to try to restore their lead. Reece James ensured substitute Harvey Barnes was unable to net from close range, making an outstanding last-ditch tackle to ensure he wasn't able to get a shot away.
Both sides had chances to win the game late on. Barnes, somehow, fired a volley wide at the back post - it seemed harder to miss than score.
Chelsea were wasteful in attack as Garnacho fired a tame effort over the bar despite multiple options.
The yellow cards were racked up by both sides - for dissent, for fouls and breaking up counter-attacks. It certainly was a game that offered everything.
Neither side were able to find a winner to claim all three points to head into Christmas with victory. First-half it was all Newcastle, with Chelsea battling back for a deserved draw in the second half.
Consistency is Chelsea's problem and the first 45 has hurt them in the north east. Their winless run at St. James' Park extends by a further year, but they did put a halt to the losing streak of three games away to Newcastle.
Matt Debono leads the editorial team which covers Chelsea On SI. He has witnessed Chelsea win it all, whilst also featuring on ITV News, SPORTbible and various other publications.