Newcastle United secured a crucial 2-0 victory over Chelsea at St James’ Park on Sunday, with an early strike from Sandro Tonali and a late goal by Bruno Guimarães pushing them closer to a Champions League berth.
The game also saw Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson receive a red card in the first half, significantly hampering the Blues’ chances.
The result lifts Newcastle into third place with 66 points, three clear of Chelsea, who currently occupy the fifth and final Champions League qualification spot with only two matches remaining.
Aston Villa are level on points with Chelsea, while Nottingham Forest trail by two and are set to play relegated Leicester City later in the day.
Newcastle delivered a strong performance overall, but Jackson’s reckless challenge proved to be a turning point.
His dismissal left Chelsea without their primary attacking threat in a match they desperately needed to win to keep their Champions League dreams alive.
Tonali gave the hosts the perfect start, arriving unmarked at the far post to convert Jacob Murphy’s low cross in just the second minute, sending the home fans into raptures under clear skies.
The Magpies’ advantage increased midway through the first half when Jackson’s yellow card was upgraded to red following a VAR review.
Replays confirmed the Senegalese forward had directed his elbow toward Dan Burn’s face after glancing at the Newcastle defender.
Despite being reduced to 10 men, Chelsea controlled much of the second half and pressed Newcastle deep into their own half, prompting Eddie Howe to make several defensive substitutions.
Their resilience paid off in the dying moments, when Guimarães fired a shot from outside the area that took a deflection and found the back of the net in the 90th minute, sealing the win.
