Chelsea faced more frustration after surrendering their lead in a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace, while Newcastle secured a 2-1 victory over Tottenham as Manchester United and Liverpool prepared for their highly anticipated Premier League clash on Sunday.
Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea has struggled to find consistency, with only one win in their first three league games under the Italian manager. After a chaotic off-season, Chelsea suffered a defeat against Manchester City in their opener, rebounded with a 6-2 win over Wolves, but narrowly advanced to the UEFA Conference League group stage following a 2-1 loss to Servette on Thursday.
Despite these setbacks, former Leicester boss Maresca insists that his expensive Chelsea rebuild, which includes numerous new signings, is progressing ahead of schedule. The recent loan signing of Jadon Sancho from Manchester United was the latest addition to Chelsea’s revamped squad. Sancho was introduced to the crowd and took his seat in the director’s box alongside Blues co-owner Behdad Eghbali.
However, Sancho likely wasn’t impressed as Chelsea failed to secure a win despite taking an early lead. Noni Madueke set up Cole Palmer, who provided the assist for Nicolas Jackson’s 25th-minute goal.
Maresca was left fuming after Palace’s Will Hughes avoided a second yellow card for a foul on Palmer. Crystal Palace, searching for their first points of the season after losses to Brentford and West Ham, capitalized on this reprieve. In the 53rd minute, England midfielder Eberechi Eze scored a brilliant curling shot from 20 yards, beating Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez to equalize.
Eze’s stunning goal, combined with a late miss by Jackson, brought an end to Chelsea’s streak of 14 consecutive wins against Palace in all competitions.
At St James’ Park, Tottenham squandered several early opportunities, with Wilson Odobert, Pape Sarr, and Pedro Porro all missing chances. Newcastle took the lead in the 37th minute with a spectacular goal from Harvey Barnes, who volleyed Lloyd Kelly’s cutback into the far corner.
Tottenham equalized in the 56th minute when Newcastle’s Dan Burn accidentally diverted the ball into his own net after Brennan Johnson’s cross slipped past goalkeeper Nick Pope, who had initially parried James Maddison’s shot.
Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali made his Premier League return after a lengthy ban for breaching betting rules. The Magpies regained the lead in the 78th minute when Jacob Murphy latched onto Joelinton’s defense-splitting pass and set up a tap-in for Alexander Isak.
Newcastle’s second win in three league games handed Tottenham their first defeat of the season. The north London side now faces a crucial derby against Arsenal after the international break.
Meanwhile, Liverpool travel to Old Trafford on Sunday, where manager Arne Slot will experience his first encounter with Manchester United’s fierce rivalry. Slot, who replaced Jurgen Klopp in the close season, has guided Liverpool to 2-0 wins over Ipswich and Brentford in his first two matches.
United manager Erik ten Hag is already under scrutiny following their 2-1 loss to Brighton last weekend.