The Newcastle-Chelsea series last season was decided by only two goals

Newcastle United and Chelsea played two closely-contested matches last season.

Newcastle United and Chelsea finished 22 points apart on the final Premier League table last season. But, the two matches between the sides that finished 13th and 4th respectively were only separated by two second-half goals. Before the clubs meet on Saturday after the international break, we take a glance back at last season’s fixtures.

10/19/2019: Chelsea 1, Newcastle United 0

Newcastle United played well, especially on the break in the first half at Stamford Bridge. But, they held very little possession and were forced to defend deep against an attacking Chelsea side.

Martin Dubravka stepped up to make some massive saves from close range, but he wasn’t able to keep up a second-half strike from Marcos Alonso.

01/18/2020: Newcastle United 1, Chelsea 0

With similar tactics to the first matchup vs. the Blues, Newcastle held just 30% possession and had only two shots on goal. But, Steve Bruce’s side came away with a surprising upset win this time around.

Allan Saint-Maximin was able to find Isaac Hayden with a cross during stoppage time and the midfielder’s header beat Kepa for the match-winner. The win would land in the middle of an eight-match unbeaten run for the Magpies in all competitions.

All-Time Series

Before the January win for Newcastle, they only had one win in their last nine matchups vs. the London side. Newcastle United have won 20 fewer matches in the 167 previous meetings between the two clubs. If NUFC can pick up a win on  Saturday, it will be only their second two-match winning streak vs. Chelsea since the 1980s.