Chelsea forward Cole Palmer praised his team's "courage" after securing a 3-2 Premier League win over Newcastle United on Monday night.
As has been the case so often this season, Palmer was Chelsea's key man at Stamford Bridge, setting up the first goal and scoring the second to take his league goal involvements to 19 (11 goals and eight assists) in his debut campaign.
Palmer saw his sixth-minute shot deftly diverted into the bottom corner by Senegalese striker Nicolas Jackson, and after Alexander Isak had equalised just before half time, the 21-year-old Englishman restored Chelsea's lead after the break with a fine finish.
Mykhailo Mudryk then made it 3-1 to Chelsea when he pinched the ball from teammate Conor Gallagher and slalomed his way through the Newcastle defence before rounding goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
Jacob Murphy's thunderous effort in the 90th minute reduced the deficit, but the hosts held on for a deserved victory to give the home fans a reason to celebrate amid an ultimately frustrating season.
Chelsea, who lost the League Cup final in extra time to a depleted Liverpool, remain 11th in the Premier League table but have a game in hand and are four points behind West Ham in seventh, which should be enough to earn a Europa Conference League place.
"We had the courage to play which is what we need as a young team," Palmer said. "We are going to make mistakes, so it’s about going on to the next one and the next one.
"We’ve had some difficult results recently, the cup final versus Liverpool, the game against Wolves [a 4-2 home defeat] – so to get points is vital for us. I think we showed a bit of passion and courage. Winning those second balls and not getting bullied.
"When they scored we thought we knew we had to defend better than before so we could get those three points and take a step in the right direction. It’s about taking it game by game and having good performances.
"If we win football matches, the fans will be happy and we want to do that for them. It’s about taking it game by game and seeing how high we can finish."
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has been under increasing pressure from an agitated fanbase and faced open revolt after last weekend's 2-2 draw at Brentford.
However, Palmer said he and his teammates are firmly behind the manager and echoed the Argentine's frequent calls for time and patience. Chelsea are also still in the hunt for major silverware when they face Championship leaders Leicester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
"I think there is so much talent at Chelsea," Palmer said. "The way that the manager works with us on the pitch, and the things he does with us, it’s only going to get better.
"I’m sure if not next season, the season after, it’s a project, everyone is young and everyone is trying to play well so you will see it sooner or later.
"We’re still in the FA Cup, hopefully we’ll win on Sunday and get to Wembley again. We’ll take each league game as it comes, hopefully climb the table and you’ll never know where we finish."
Pochettino also called on the Chelsea fans to trust his players, saying: "We need to stick together. Until the end we are going to fight to try to give our fans the best things. It helped a little bit today we scored from the beginning, the fans were good and behind us. They need to trust in us."
Newcastle's 12th defeat of the season leaves the Magpies just one point better off than Chelsea in 10th.
The pressure is also rising on Eddie Howe as Saudi-backed Newcastle have failed to build on finishing fourth last season to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years.
"All three goals are similar in their characteristics. We didn't defend those situations well enough and if you do that you are going to lose games," said Howe.
"I know we can hit the heights of previously, but we are not doing it anywhere near often enough."
There were promising signs for Pochettino as some of his much-criticised expensive young recruits showed glimpses of their potential.
Jackson is now up to 12 goals in his debut season, while 20-year-old French full-back Malo Gusto impressed once again and £100m Ecuadorian midfielder Moises Caicedo delivered another assured performance after an inconsistent start to his Chelsea career.
The one new signing Chelsea have been able to rely on all season is Palmer and the England international was comfortably the best player on the pitch, no doubt impressing England manager Gareth Southgate in the stands.
Mudryk, by contrast, has been a constant frustration since joining for £88m just over a year ago. However, Ukrainian showed a glimpse of his talent when, having only been on the pitch five minutes, burst through the heart of the Newcastle defence to turn in just his sixth goal in 46 Chelsea appearances.
Brief scores:
Pakistan (1st innings) 181: Babar 71; Olivier 6-37
South Africa (1st innings) 223: Bavuma 53; Amir 4-62
Pakistan (2nd innings) 190: Masood 65, Imam 57; Olivier 5-59
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EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
The%20specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Favourite book: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Favourite holiday destination: Spain
Favourite film: Bohemian Rhapsody
Favourite place to visit in the UAE: The beach or Satwa
Children: Stepdaughter Tyler 27, daughter Quito 22 and son Dali 19
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
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The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make
When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.
“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.
This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).
|
Age
|
$250 a month
|
$500 a month
|
$1,000 a month
|
|
25
|
$640,829
|
$1,281,657
|
$2,563,315
|
|
35
|
$303,219
|
$606,439
|
$1,212,877
|
|
45
|
$131,596
|
$263,191
|
$526,382
|
|
55
|
$44,351
|
$88,702
|
$177,403
|
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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