Newcastle 2-0 Chelsea: Tonali & Bruno dent Blues' Champions League hopes as Jackson sees red | OneFootball

Chelsea's Champions League qualification hopes were dented after a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United in the Premier League.

Their dismal record at St. James' Park continued as the Blues played around 60 minutes with 10-men following Nicolas Jackson's straight red card in the first half.

Sandro Tonali broke the deadlock after just two minutes with an unmarked tap-in at the back post from Jacob Murphy's low cross.

Tonali caught Chelsea off-guard at the back post to punish the visitors. / IMAGO / News Images

Bruno Guimarães sealed the victory in stoppage time with a deflected strike finding the top corner.

It was the worst possible start Chelsea could have imagined. Less than two minutes in, Newcastle took an early lead through Sandro Tonali, who punished Romeo Lavia getting dispossessed on the edge of his own box to tap home from close range at the back post from Jacob Murphy's low cross.

It was an immediate mood lifter for the St. James' Park crowd and Newcastle continued their dominance against a Chelsea side struggling to deal with the pressure and set up of Eddie Howe's side.

As Chelsea frustrations continued, Nicolas Jackson, whose service was through long, aerial balls from Robert Sanchez and the defence, let them get the better of him and consequently was shown a red card in the 36th minute by referee John Brooks. The forward left a foreman on Sven Botman and a VAR reviewed upgraded the initial yellow card to send the visitors down to 10-men.

A moment of madness from Nicolas Jackson. / IMAGO / News Images

Everything was going against Chelsea, much of which self-inflicted, and it showed with head coach Enzo Maresca and Enzo Fernandez both receiving bookings shortly before the interval.

Although it could have been expected earlier, Maresca made his first switch at the interval bringing on Reece James for Noni Madueke. Moises Caicedo moved back into his natural midfield position as James slotted into the full-back role.

Chelsea were much improved in the second half despite Newcastle having a man advantage. The tactical shift from Maresca allowed the visitors to grow into the game as the hosts dropped off. Marc Cucurella almost levelled the game on the hour mark but his low shot heading for the far corner was well saved by Nick Pope.

Chances were few and far between and James was handed a glorious opportunity from Gusto's cross, but the Chelsea captain was only able to guide his header over the bar.

Despite a much-improved performance in the second half, Chelsea were unable to find a leveller and Newcastle were the ones who found the second and final goal in the game to seal all three points, courtesy of a deflected Bruno Guimarães strike which found the top corner in stoppage time.

It leaves Maresca's side needing results in their final two games against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest if they want to achieve their objective of Champions League qualification.

A disappointing afternoon for Chelsea, particularly with the manner of Jackson's sending off which rules him out for the remainder of the league campaign, who were punished for a disastrous first 25 minutes.