What Nicolas Jackson did before Chelsea red card speaks volumes as Cole Palmer loses it

Chelsea's margin for error is gone. The win they got unexpectedly against Liverpool last week has been cancelled out. What Nottingham Forest, Manchester City, Aston Villa, and Newcastle United do from here on in is almost irrelevant.

Win two games and Champions League football is almost certain to be the reward. That is the simple, positive hope that comes from a largely frustrating afternoon at St James' Park. Securing a top five finish is still in Chelsea's own hands. They are in control of their destiny.

The noise around them will be just that. Can Aston Villa go two from two against Tottenham and Manchester United? Who cares. Will Arsenal be second, third, fourth, or maybe even fifth? It really does not matter.

Chelsea need six points from a possible six (barring an extremely improbable 13 goal swing with Villa) to be back in Europe's Premier League competition. There is no other element to take in.

They had given themselves some leeway for a result like this when they beat Liverpool 3-1 at Stamford Bridge last week. Given what was coming up, it was always likely to be needed.

It is this sort of complexion that will mean optimism remains heading into the final fortnight of the season. Chelsea have been on a good run and have gotten themselves from the brink of collapse to the edge of success. It is a fine line to tread but one that they are still walking on right now.

For Enzo Maresca, the battling second half at St James' Park was enough to be clapped out of the stadium by the travelling away fans. Given how he has been treated by the very same supporters for much of the past few months, it is an energy that will be needed until the end of May.

Chelsea cannot lose their heads or let performances slip now. They were poor for 45 minutes in the northeast and it cost them, ultimately. Newcastle's fast start should have been predicted.

The 12pm kick off time may have mellowed some but this grand old arena can bring a ferocious noise and did just that. A tifo before the game from the Newcastle fans read: "Get into them." The players obliged.

Cole Palmer had said before the game that if Chelsea were "'scared, they [Newcastle] can eat you alive." That's just what happened as Newcastle were sharper than Chelsea, taking advantage of the Moises Caicedo at right-back experiment. Romeo Lavia was pickpocketed in possession in a way the rusty and hungover Liverpool midfield could not last week.

Newcastle, with plenty to play for and enough quality to carry out Eddie Howe's high-intensity press even without Joelinton, nicked the ball, got to one side and then exploited the space at the far post where Caicedo had not recovered to. Just in case Chelsea's young team needed telling that their hosts were not going to relax, this was a warning with bite.

Maresca's men were rushed off their feet and had no response. Robert Sanchez and Levi Colwill went long and direct into Nicolas Jackson three times in the opening 20 minutes only to lose out and then be faced with black and white shirts steaming towards their goal.

Jackson hardly touched the ball with it being fired at his shins, waist, chest, and head. Up against three huge centre-backs, if he had managed to control the ball then he would have been up against it to do much anyway. The frustration kicked in and after 26 minutes he nudged Sven Botman whilst competing for another high pass.

It was petty, petulant, and smacked of a player unable to find his way into a game. When he next went up against Botman the outcome was even worse.

Jackson looked twice over his shoulder and then raised his elbow whilst going for a header. Chelsea can have very few complaints with the eventual red card.

Consistency in refereeing isn't a strong point for the Premier League - and we have seen other decisions of a similar nature not be punished in the same way - but Chelsea and Jackson have nothing to argue here. They were 1-0 down, a man down, and had hardly got going.

Getting in at half-time with the scoreline unchanged was the best part of a disastrous opening 45 minutes for Maresca. His team had no structure to go forward, did not compete physically, and were being done by Newcastle, who always bring the fire.

Had this continued, then the reaction from the away fans in the heavens might have been different at full-time. Palmer lost his head before the break, complaining to referee John Brooks after he was penalised for a foul on Anthony Gordon.

Enzo Fernandez joined him and was booked for dissent. Colwill started to chirp and chat back as things turned sour. Chelsea threatened to go off the boil as they were outclassed and outfought, with Palmer getting increasingly agitated when looking for the ball in deep areas.

He had to track Gordon into his own right-back area, summing up how the game went. Palmer's first instinct was to go towards the official rather than the tunnel at the break. Maresca's team-talk needed to be a big one. What Chelsea did next is both reason for some calm and also a worry for what is to follow.

Chelsea were the better side in the second half. They managed to shush the boisterous and expectant Geordie flock and asserted themselves. Moises Caicedo came into midfield and had a bigger influence on the game. Reece James played (until late on) as an orthodox right-back, and Lavia snapped into tackles.

Marc Cucurella found some nice positions high up and the displays of Trevoh Chalobah and Colwill are evidence of a centre-back pairing really starting to form. Chelsea pinned Newcastle back and brought a sense of nervousness to proceedings.

They rarely troubled Nick Pope but they were not being overran or outworked. Both managers made substitutes to alter the dynamic in a game of tactical cat and mouse. Chelsea slowly pushed on and showed more adventure.

Cucurella did draw a good save from Pope eventually and Fernandez made him tip another over from the left. James ought to have diverted Malo Gusto's cross on target two minutes from time. It was Chelsea's last chance before Bruno Guimaraes got a deflected second to wrap things up.

Regardless of the result, which leaves Chelsea's demands crystal clear, there was enough from the second half to believe that two wins are within reach. Chelsea need this to be the case.

The fear is that for all the possession and control they had, there was no No.9 at the end. Jackson, as mentioned, had been peripheral when on the field and is far from a reliable goalscorer, but he is at least a figure and a nuisance, as he demonstrated against Liverpool with his terrorising runs.

Chelsea will have to beat Manchester United without a natural striker. Marc Guiu is close to a return but is also 19 and has little-to-no Premier League experience. It would be a risk to throw him in when the stakes are this high.

Christopher Nkunku has been a go-to alternative but is no only currently out with injury himself but has been ineffective in any role throughout 2025. He is a passenger up front.

Pedro Neto and Tyrique George have both offered more and may well be Maresca's answer but it will be a new task to find clutch wins with them now. The good news is that United, who go to London on Friday, really are atrocious.

If Chelsea fail to beat Ruben Amorim's team in their current guise - and with all eyes so evidently on the Europa League final - then they do not deserve a Champions League spot, full stop. Get to the final day with Forest to beat and Chelsea will need to prove that they can turn up away from home in a game that means something.

They managed it at Stamford Bridge for the visit of Liverpool and that was a sign of progress but that will feel pointless if it doesn't now lead to something bigger. Chelsea's fightback without cutting edge against Newcastle keeps the flame alive but the real time to stand up is now.

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