By Sulaimon Jamiu
Kai Havertz produced a last-gasp moment of brilliance to snatch a 1-0 win for Chelsea over Newcastle at Stamford Bridge, on a day when football club ownership was firmly in the spotlight.
Eddie Howe’s visitors looked on course for a deserved point going into the 89th minute, but Havertz came up with a stunning touch and finish on the move from Jorginho’s long pass to win it for the hosts.
The German forward, who escaped a first-half sending off for an elbow on Dan Burn, even nearly made it two in stoppage time, with his deflected shot hitting the bar.
It was a cruel conclusion for Newcastle who saw a clear penalty waved away by referee David Coote and VAR John Brooks when Trevoh Chalobah pulled down Jacob Murphy in the box at the start of the second half.
The visitors had gone close to winning it themselves, with Miguel Almiron’s thunderbolt pushed away by Edouard Mendy at the end of the first half, after Burn had headed wide, and look transformed from the side which struggled so badly in the first half of this campaign. But their nine-game unbeaten run is over and they sit nine points above the drop zone after Watford’s win.
