Roman Abramovich’s banner hung over the Matthew Harding Stand as Chelsea beat Newcastle
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)Kai Havertz’s brilliant late goal ensured that Chelsea supporters could celebrate but there was no escaping the strangeness of the atmosphere on a dark day for English football.
Chelsea’s first visitors to Stamford Bridge since Roman Abramovich was hit with sanctions – casting the club’s future into doubt – were Saudi Arabian-backed Newcastle.
Here was a meeting between the Premier League’s original and oldest sportswashing project and its newest, played out against a grim backdrop of geopolitics and war.
A match which should have been about two much-loved community assets was instead a contest between, on one side, an oligarch implicated in an invasion of Ukraine and, on the other, a regime contributing to a different humanitarian disaster by waging war on a neighbouring country, while also accused of multiple human rights abuses at home.
The occasion perfectly summed up the mess in English football, the rot of sportswashing at the heart of our national game.
Despite the severity of Chelsea’s restrictions, everything looked like business as usual. There were no visible alterations in the press room or on the pitch, with the Chelsea shirts still bearing the logos of sponsors Three and Hyundai, who have cut ties with the club.
To the credit of the home fans, the only chants about Abramovich came from the away end, suggesting a majority of Blues supporters have taken on board the criticism for singing the Russian’s name at Burnley and Norwich.
Perhaps most are ready to move forward into a post-Abramovich era, although the ‘Roman Empire’ banner, bearing Abramovich’s face, still hung over the Matthew Harding Stand, an ever-present reminder of their predicament.
If only there was more introspection among the Newcastle ranks. Chelsea’s plight should be a warning to Newcastle – there is danger in vast wealth – but the travelling fans instead revelled in their hosts’ demise.
As the visiting fans announced themselves on a subdued Fulham Broadway before kick-off, they chanted, “F*** off Chelsea, we’re richer than you,” and once the match was underway they goaded Chelsea with “No noise from the bankrupt boys" and "Mike Ashley, he’s coming for you" – a reference to their previous owner.
But even as they taunted the home fans, they celebrated their own compromised ownership. Saudi flag was unveiled in the away end but removed 10 minutes before kick-off – the day after the country executed 81 people. It was a classic example of sportswashing in action and the cognitive dissonance which it engenders.
Chelsea dig deep
Chelsea’s players deserve some credit for continuing to grind out results in the most uncertain of circumstances.
Every one of Thomas Tuchel’s squad will be considering an exit strategy in the summer but this was their second win on the bounce since the club was thrown into a state of wild instability.
For most of the match, Tuchel’s side reflected the flat and subdued atmosphere of the home crowd, producing their poorest performance since the Club World Cup.
There was no spark against a well-drilled Newcastle side, who are already free from the threat of relegation, and only eventual match-winner Havertz was threatening.
But they did allow heads to drop and showed an impressive resilience to grab a late goal after the Toon had edged the final 30 minutes.
Still, it is not really possible to separate the football itself from the context of the wider questions about these two clubs’ ownership and the decisive moment was produced by Jorginho and Havertz, two players who cost a combined £129million and are shining symbols of Abramovich’s wealth.
Newcastle’s improvement, which was demonstrated again here, is largely the result of an £80m spend in January, which is way beyond the means of all their previous relegation rivals, as well as some impressive coaching by Eddie Howe.
Havertz sparkles
That Havertz was the player to break Newcastle’s resistance, and end their fine run of form, left the Magpies with a sense of injustice after the German was involved in a flashpoint with Dan Burn at the end of the first half.
Havertz led with his elbow in an aerial challenge with the centre-half and caught him on the side of the head, leaving Burn needed treatment and convinced it was deliberate. The VAR saw no reason to punish Havertz after a check, however. It was made crueller that Havertz got in front of Burn to take down Jorginho’s pass with a sublime first touch before prodding home.
It was Havertz’s sixth goal in seven matches, offering further evidence that he is growing into the role of talisman and match-winner for the Blues.
Even before the goal, he was by far the likeliest player to break the deadlock, firing across the face of goal in the first half and sending a header straight at the goalkeeper.
His performance was again in contract to a disappointing cameo from Romelu Lukaku, who was well-marshalled by Newcastle’s back line for the final 30 minutes.
