I even started to relax a little… | OneFootball

I was going to stop in and watch Newcastle United’s high noon shoot-out with Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea.

With an hour to kick off I checked The Mag for team news and was excited by Eddie’s attacking line-up.

As the minutes ticked down and after checking my watch for the umpteenth time, I finally arose from my armchair.

I couldn’t take any more and my anxiety levels were increasing, so it was time to head for Tynemouth Club.

Auld Ellas was there in our usual seats with prime viewing advantages and the club was quickly filling up.

The pre-match atmosphere at St James’ Park came over brilliant on the TV screens and speakers, a tingle went down my spine as the players entered the fray.

I was hoping for another fast start from United and with just under two minutes on the clock, it was the Toon who had indeed drawn first blood.

Chelsea had failed to clear their lines after Anthony Gordon had taken a tumble inside the box, Sandro Tonali regaining possession before the ball was spread out to Jacob Murphy on the right channel.

‘Mr Assist’ quickly swung the ball to the back post and Tonali was back in the action again to bundle the ball home. Cue bedlam in the club.

I said in an article this week what a fantastic player we have on our hands in Sandro Tonali.

When I looked at his face whilst the team celebrated, I could see that this very calm man now seems content and ‘at home’ shall we say.

United were looking assured and in general control and I even started to relax a little.

I had been the total opposite in the build up to this game, totally different to how I was before we played Liverpool at Wembley. Before the Cup Final I was confident and thought we were going to win.

Capping off this long awaited trophy winning campaign with Champions League qualification, may subconsciously have been too much for me to comprehend. I honestly don’t really know.

Chelsea’s Nicholas Jackson seemed to have made things one hell of a lot easier, when he lost his head and was rightfully sent off.

Chelsea had other ideas though and came out with a new found appetite and desire after the half-time break.

Their ten men soon had United on the back foot for considerable periods, as we constantly gifted them possession and struggled for momentum.

It was now turgid viewing and myself and a few of the lads in the club were left bewildered and began deliberating how we had suddenly began playing so badly.

Chelsea being a man down they rarely managed to threaten Nick Pope’s goal despite playing the ball about a lot in non-threatening areas, although he made two smart saves late on.

Bruno Guimaraes was to have the final say and after a Toon free kick had been farmed out to the edge of the area, his shot looped up off a Chelsea defender and into the top corner of the net.

Three brilliant points gained and happy faces all around Gallowgate (and also sunny Tynemouth).

I would just like to add in at this stage that The Mag ‘Instant fan reaction‘ article is exactly what it says on the tin, so to speak.

Post-match opinion is sent within minutes of the final whistle by a number of contributors to The Mag and emotions are naturally running high.

During the second half yesterday, Newcastle United would have turned Perry Como into a nervous wreck. United were clearly being outfought and embarrassed by a depleted side.

I always try to give as honest an assessment as I can in the circumstances.

Once I had calmed down I enjoyed Eddie Howe’s post-match press comments. He was correct in implying that we had fallen off in the second period and that Chelsea played very well. In Eddie’s words (a goal and a man down) “they had nothing to lose.”

When I got hyem I poured myself a malt and listened to Tears for Fears’s ‘Songs from the Big Chair’.

When ‘Everybody wants to rule the World’ was playing, the sun was still shining outside, and I thought to myself that it was the ideal record for the position Newcastle United now find ourselves in.

We’ve an excellent manager and team and also proper ambitious owners with good intentions.

We also now have one great big boot in next season’s Champions League, as Man City and Nottingham Forest both slipped up over the weekend, but it has always really been about what we do.

Arsenal and second place are now within our sights. Why can’t we make it four wins against the Gunners this season, when we take them on next at the Emirates?