
<p>A sensational right footed curler from Joe Willock in the 67<sup>th</sup> minute earned Newcastle a huge 1-0 win over <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/teams/chelsea-tv-schedule/">Chelsea</a> on Saturday evening at St James’ Park. Willock latched on to a loose ball just on the edge of the penalty box after some wonderful wing play from Miguel Almiron. </p>



<p>This was Newcastle’s fifth consecutive win in the Premier League as the Magpies leapfrogged <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/news/tottenham-beat-ten-man-leeds-with-thrilling-second-half-comeback-20221112-WST-408056.html">Tottenham Hotspur into third place</a> in the table, only two points adrift of <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/teams/manchester-city-tv-schedule/">Manchester City</a> having played an extra game.</p>



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<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">St. James&apos; Park ERUPTS after Joe Willock fires Newcastle into the lead! <br><br>📺: <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/nbc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBC</a> &amp; <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/peacock?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@peacock</a> <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/hashtag/MyPLMorning?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MyPLMorning</a> | <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/hashtag/NEWCHE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NEWCHE</a> <a href="https:\/\/t.co/IsuBFKqa6q">pic.twitter.com/IsuBFKqa6q</a></p>— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/NBCSportsSoccer/status/1591506126406918145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2022</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https:\/\/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>As we break for the World Cup, this will the first time that Eddie Howe’s side will be in the top three of the Premier League season since 2002-02 season.</p>



<p>As for Chelsea, the pressure will mount on manager <a href="https:\/\/www.espn.in/football/chelsea-engchelsea/story/4796040/graham-potter-on-chelsea-pressure-if-i-wanted-an-easy-life-id-have-stayed-at-brighton">Graham</a><a href="https:\/\/www.espn.in/football/chelsea-engchelsea/story/4796040/graham-potter-on-chelsea-pressure-if-i-wanted-an-easy-life-id-have-stayed-at-brighton" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> </a><a href="https:\/\/www.espn.in/football/chelsea-engchelsea/story/4796040/graham-potter-on-chelsea-pressure-if-i-wanted-an-easy-life-id-have-stayed-at-brighton">Potter</a>, whose side has now gone on without any win in the last 5 league games. The last time the Blues were in such a precarious situation, was 10 years back in 2012.</p>



<h4><strong>Chelsea’s misery deepens</strong></h4>



<p>Chelsea had to cope without star English international Raheem Sterling who was missing through a sickness bug while for the home side, Callum Wilson was only deemed fit to take his place on the bench for Newcastle following a week of illness. </p>



<p>Conor Gallagher tested Nick Pope with an early effort on goal but apart from that the away side hardly had any bite in midfield and attack. Potter’s side were dominated in every inch of grass as Newcastle pushed the visitors with their relentless pressing.</p>



<p>Ruben Loftus Cheek had to be withdrawn after suffering a knock as Chelsea moved to a back three settling in a 3-4-2-1 formation.</p>



<p>Chelsea struggled to assert any control in the middle of the pitch with Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho failing to string passes into the final third. Striker Armando Broja however, latched on a quick release pass from Gallagher in the 28th minute but could only shoot straight to Pope who gathered with ease.</p>



<p>Newcastle might have felt hard done by just before the half time whistle after the referee waved away shouts for a penalty following Dan Brun’s low cross that appeared to have brushed Trevoh Chaobah’s arm. </p>



<p>Newcastle were by far the better side following the break but spurned two chances to take the lead. First Chris Wood failed to connect Kieran Trippier’s cross before Sean Longstaff blazed his shot well over the cross bar.</p>



<p>Chelsea could have taken the lead themselves had it not been for Nick Pope, once again denying Gallagher’s finely taken effort, at full stretch. </p>



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<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Most clean sheets in the Premier League this season:<br><br>6 – Danny Ward<br>6 – Ederson<br>6 – Nick Pope <br>6 – Aaron Ramsdale<br><br>A reminder that Ward and Leicester had conceded 22 goals in their first seven games and kept 0 clean sheets… 🧤 <a href="https:\/\/t.co/ElHxCMSyFF">pic.twitter.com/ElHxCMSyFF</a></p>— Squawka (@Squawka) <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/Squawka/status/1591478282037465088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2022</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https:\/\/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<h4><strong>Newcastle in dreamland</strong></h4>



<p>Newcastle finally broke the deadlock as the man of the moment, Almiron swerved past Kalidou Koulibaly setting the stage for  Willock’s thunderous strike that left Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy helpless.</p>



<p>Even with the changes made by Potter following his team going behind, bringing on Marc Cucurella, Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz, Chelsea hardly threatened the Newcastle goal as the traveling side slumped to yet another loss. The London side currently sit eighth in the standings with 21 points, 8 adrift of Tottenham for a place in the top four.</p>



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<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tempers are flaring after the final whistle between Newcastle and Chelsea players. <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/hashtag/MyPLMorning?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MyPLMorning</a> | <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/hashtag/NEWCHE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NEWCHE</a> <a href="https:\/\/t.co/0ATUgfqPOJ">pic.twitter.com/0ATUgfqPOJ</a></p>— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/NBCSportsSoccer/status/1591514627875143683?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2022</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https:\/\/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>The final whistle triggered ugly scenes with either set of players venting their frustration at one another. The home fans though wouldn’t care as they saw their beloved Magpies sit comfortably in third, challenging for a Champions League berth.</p>



<p><em>Photo credit: IMAGO / PA Images</em></p>


Newcaste United beat Chelsea 1-0 to move to third in the Premier League thanks to a sensational strike from Joe Willock

Joe Willock's silky strike sends Newcastle third - World Soccer Talk

Joe Willock's silky strike sends Newcastle third

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<p>On March 20, Newcastle United fell to 17th place after a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Brighton. Their remaining nine games featured five games against teams in the hunt for European competition. A relegation battle seemed all but certain for the Magpies. Fast forward to the end of the 2020/21 season, Newcastle United sat in a comfortable <a href="https:\/\/www.premierleague.com/tables?co=1&amp;se=363&amp;ha=-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">12th position in the table</a>, 13 points clear of the drop. How did NUFC get there, and what can this tell us about the 2021-22 season?</p>
<h2>Strong base to build from</h2>
<p>There are two major causes for Newcastle’s turnaround. The first was personnel. After lengthy absences, their two best offensive players returned – forward Callum Wilson and midfielder Allan Saint-Maximin. Without them, they struggled mightily to score goals. In fact, the duo combined for 15 goals and nine assists.&nbsp;The other cause was a change of formation. Manager Steve Bruce and his chief assistant Graeme Jones switched to a new system with three central defenders and wing players Jacob Murphy and Matt Ritchie playing as wingbacks. After only scoring three goals in their previous six matches ending in the Brighton debacle, they scored seven in three, and were only held goalless by Arsenal.</p>
<p>Still, the hero of the turnaround was Joe Willock. The Arsenal loanee scored seven times in the last nine fixtures, including match winners against West Ham, Sheffield United and Fulham. Additionally, Willock tallied and a 95<sup>th</sup>-minute equalizer at Liverpool. Any Newcastle season preview will feature discussion on Willock due to the fact he is an integral catalyst for what they did to close the season.</p>
<h2>Willock headlines transfer window</h2>
<p>Newcastle recognized the impact Willock brought to St. James’ Park and made the move to bring him back. Multiple outlets report that <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2021/08/13/willock-leaves-arsenal-to-join-newcastle/">Newcastle paid £22 million</a> plus ad-ons for the Arsenal midfielder. Willock, although just a 21-year-old Englishman, has a chance to break a club-record belonging to Alan Shearer. Willock scored in his last six Newcastle appearances, meaning if he scores in his next game for the Magpies, the club record is his.</p>
<p>As is often the case over the summer transfer windows, Newcastle let several players leave. Most notable of those include Andy Carroll, Florian Lejeune, Christian Atsu and Yoshinori Muto. However, Newcastle did not bring in many players, with goalkeeper Freddie Woodman likely the only transfer in to receive playing time outside of Willock. Woodman is presumed to be the starter in the season opener against West Ham United.</p>
<h2>Time for cautious optimism?</h2>
<p>So, what can be expected? Are there reasons for optimism? Not if you believe current polls that have Newcastle United supporters as the least-optimistic fan base in the Premier League. While the Newcastle season preview looked bleak, much of that disdain came from losing their talisman in Willock.&nbsp; With the midfielder back in the black and white stripes, the team that finished on a flourish last season is largely unchanged. They have an extra player available now as well in defensive midfielder Isaac Hayden. The main problem is if Wilson and Saint-Maximin miss significant time again, the side will struggle mightily to score. Depth is something less-wealthy clubs struggle with.</p>
<p>There’s also the small matter of the potential sale of the club to the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. If the long-awaited sale finally is approved, Newcastle immediately become a club that will attempt to compete directly with the big clubs who seem to be preventing the transaction from completing.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, there is reason for optimism for Newcastle United fans entering this season.</p>
<h2>Newcastle season preview lineup</h2>
<p>If all remains consistent throughout the season in regards to injuries, expect Newcastle starting XI to be fairly consistent.</p>
<div id="attachment_341932" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><div><figure class="image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-341932" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-341932 size-medium" src="https:\/\/ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https:\/\/images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20210814_WST_341929_lineup-300x407.webp&amp;width=300&amp;height=407" alt="" width="300" height="407" srcset="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/08/lineup-300x407.png 300w, https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/08/lineup-150x204.png 150w, https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/08/lineup.png 350w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"></figure></div><p id="caption-attachment-341932" class="wp-caption-text">Potential lineup for Newcastle’s season-opener against West Ham United. (Created on Chosen11.com)</p></div>
<p>Outside of the return of Willock, Newcastle’s additions have been subpar. While the potential starting XI can play to the standard they set at the end of last season, they will not start the same players every game.</p>
<p>There is some cover in midfield, with the Longstaff brothers, Ryan Fraser and Jeff Hendrick available. Javier Manquillo and Jamal Lewis are cover for the wingbacks, and Emil Krafth and Paul Dummett can play both central defense and as fullbacks. Ciaran Clark played well when Lascelles was injured last season. Up front there are only Dwight Gayle and Joelinton, who have not proven to be consistent scorers at this level. Bruce may also opt to start Joelinton on the wing instead of Almiron.</p>
<h2>Still seeking players</h2>
<p>It’s probably not a relegation side, but it’s pretty thin on top-level talent. And every other team – including the three promoted clubs – have brought in reinforcements.</p>
<p>There are still things to be decided. Bruce has said they are trying to bring a few players in before the season begins this weekend. The club has enough to stay up as long as the key players stay healthy; if they don’t, it will be another season looking down rather than up.</p>
<p>Learn more about <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2021/07/14/nbc-sports-announces-premier-league-schedule-for-august-as-2021-22-season-nears/">how to watch Newcastle</a> and the 2021-22 Premier League season.</p>


Check out this piece regarding a Newcastle season preview for the 2021-22 Premier League campaign. Joe Willock returns to a squad that finished last season

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Chelsea

Joe Willock's silky strike sends Newcastle third

Leagues: EPL

Willock signing offers Newcastle fans a rare taste of optimism