Newcastle United were just minutes away from the rarest of results at Stamford Bridge before Kai Havertz, of all people, delivered a hammer blow at the death. Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle.
Newcastle have played better games since Eddie Howe took charge but, despite missing a host of players, the Magpies executed a very effective game plan for 88 minutes on Sunday. Despite having just 27% of the ball, Newcastle frustrated Chelsea - boldly pressing the Blues high up the pitch for large periods - and the hosts were unable to even muster a shot on target until the final quarter of an hour.
However, as resilient as Newcastle were, the Magpies were ultimately let down by the officials. Havertz stayed on the field after elbowing Dan Burn in the face in the 39th minute when the Germany international could so easily have seen red. Referee David Coote told the players that Havertz had been looking at the ball the whole time when they jumped for a header, but Burn thought it was a 'bit naughty' - and had the gash to prove it.
