Chelsea late strike sinks Newcastle

Chelsea snatched a dramatic winner against Newcastle in the first game at Stamford Bridge since Blues’ Russian owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government.

The game was heading towards a goalless draw before Kai Havertz expertly controlled a ball forward and fired into the net in the 88th minute.

It was a tough goal to concede for Newcastle who had wanted Havertz to be sent off in the first half for catching Dan Burn in the face with an elbow when jumping, but the German only received a booking.

Before the goal, both sides had struggled to create clear-cut chances, with Chelsea taking 75 minutes to produce an effort on target.

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Newcastle’s Miguel Almiron had earlier forced a fine save from home goalkeeper Edouard Mendy with a well-struck 25-yard volley and Burn headed just wide.

Just as had happened in Chelsea’s 3-1 away win over Norwich on Thursday, a small section of fans chanted Abramovich’s name, for a brief period in the second half.

Abramovich has been sanctioned as a part of the government’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, meaning his assets, including Chelsea Football Club, have been frozen.