What Newcastle’s players were saying inside the dressing room about Chelsea’s first goal

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The Newcastle United defence was in a giving mood against Chelsea on Monday night.

All three of Chelsea’s goals were handed to them by Newcastle, who were massively disappointing during the 3-2 defeat at Stamford Bridge.

The Magpies were so mean at the back last season, but that is no longer the case. Newcastle have turned into a soft touch, with that fighting spirit and band of brothers attitude suddenly a distant memory.

While there were moments of magic in attack from Alexander Isak and Jacob Murphy, they were fleeting. The overall nature of the performance was a big worry, particularly the goals they conceded.

The first set the tone for the night, as Nicolas Jackson’s clever flick from Cole Palmer’s shot found its way into the back of the net and beyond Martin Dubravka.

Newcastle players not happy about Chelsea’s first goal on Monday night

It was a really soft goal, and now the Athletic have reported on how the Toon players inside the dressing room viewed it.

According to the Athletic, the Newcastle dressing room described Chelsea’s first goal on Monday night as a ‘gift’.

It really was just that. The goal stemmed from an awful clearance from Sven Botman, who dealt with a Chelsea cross by putting his team immediately under more pressure. It was really poor from the Dutchman, although you could argue that Martin Dubravka should have been more commanding and claimed the cross himself.

That is up for debate, but Dubravka’s role in the actual goal is certainly worrying. The 35-year-old was unable to get down quick enough, despite it seemingly taking a lifetime to go from Palmer’s boot into the back of the net.

It was an absolute gift, as the Newcastle players say. And it came after the Magpies enjoyed a fairly bright start. Then all of their good work was undone by a mistake, and it set Chelsea on their way to victory.

It was a really disappointing goal to concede, and Howe’s players will be looking back at it with a huge amount of regret.