Spurs & Man Utd hand Liam Rosenior Chelsea lifeline in Champions League qualification race | OneFootball

Chelsea have avoided a disastrous weekend in their bid for Champions League qualification despite their defeat to Newcastle United.

It was a disappointing defeat for Chelsea against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening, with Anthony Gordon's first-half goal enough for the Blues to drop more points at home in the Premier League.

"It’s frustration," reflected head coach Liam Rosenior. "First 15, 20 minutes we dominated the game, wave of attacking intent. But we concede a really poor goal after switching off on a press. They play a straight pass through the middle of the pitch and they go one nil up - it gives them something to hold onto.

"Then the rest of the game was attack vs defence. Credit to Newcastle and Eddie Howe, because they defended their lead and they were happy to sit back. We didn't have that mental freshness to unlock them, which is what ultimately cost us the game."

Gordon slotting past Robert Sanchez to score the only goal of the game during Chelsea vs Newcastle. | IMAGO / Action Plus

Chelsea's dip in results in the league has come at a time when they cannot afford to lose ground as they head into the final weeks of the season, which will determine their European fate for next season.

They're battling with Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool for the remaining Champions League qualification spots, with Brentford dreaming of a late charge.

After the defeat to Newcastle, Chelsea needed results to go their way on Sunday and they did just that.

Manchester United claimed a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa, who they thrashed 4-1 last week, to ensure Chelsea remain just three points behind Unai Emery's side.

Meanwhile, Liverpool were held at home to Tottenham Hotspur despite Dominik Szoboszlai's free-kick to put the hosts ahead. They failed to kill the game and Richarlison clinched a deserved point for the relegation-threatened visitors at Anfield.

Man United are starting to open a points gap in their quest to return to the Champions League next season. | IMAGO / NurPhoto

It offers Chelsea a reprieve heading into the final game of the month next weekend, when they will face Everton on Merseyside, which will see the international break commence following the fixture's conclusion.

It's a big couple of weeks for Rosenior and his side, who need to start talking less and put their focus on eradicating the regular mistakes which are inexcusable and continuing to cost the Blues points.

Failure to do so and they will miss out on the Champions League spots. They are currently down, but they are far from out. It is in Chelsea's own hands to sort their form out. This weekend was another reminder of what is at stake and what needs improving. They will only have themselves to blame if they miss out come the end of May.