Chelsea held to a draw against Newcastle

Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw against Newcastle United. The Magpies opened their scoring in the sixth minute through Andy Carroll. Salomon Kalou drew Chelsea level at the stroke of half-time but the home side defended resolutely to deserve a point.

Chelsea were left to rue their missed chances even though they enjoyed a dominant possession. A defensive error from Alex led to the first goal and Newcastle then defended well against Chelsea’s attacking play to frustrate the visitors. Having seen Arsenal and Manchester United record convincing victories if was for Chelsea to set the pace for the title race, but a draw leaves them second on the standings. Chelsea have only managed to collect four points from their five matches and the Carlos Ancelotti’s side will really have to lift them up in the coming weeks to get their title race back on track.

In the absence of John Terry, Chelsea’s defensive woes got continuously exposed and Newcastle posed a constant threat in front of goal. Shola Ameobi had the chance to give Newcastle the lead but goalkeeper Petr Cech clawed out this effort. Ameobi again had the chance from eight yards out and the striker should have scored but could only volley into the side-netting. Salomon Kalou scored from a John Obi Mikel’s pass to equalise fro Chelsea. Didier Drogba handled the ball before netting it and the goal was rightly disallowed. Ashley Cole headed a goal-line clearance to save Chelsea from the blushes and ensure them a point.