The Blues secured a valuable Premier League point from our trip to St James' Park in our last away game of 2025, but we had to do it the hard way, after Nick Woltemade put the home team ahead early on and extended their advantage before half-time.

The momentum swung completely the other way after the break, though. First Reece James swept in a brilliant free-kick to spark a fightback, before Joao Pedro calmly equalised after being spotted by Robert Sanchez to launch a counter-attack.

Both sides had chances to snatch a late winner, with Alejandro Garnacho drawing a save from the keeper and Moises Caicedo smashing narrowly wide of the top corner for Chelsea, but our head coach conceded that sharing the spoils was probably fair given the balance of the 90 minutes as a whole.

'I think after the first half they deserved to win the game, for sure. From my point of view, after the second half, we deserved to win the game,' explained Maresca, in his post-match press conference in Newcastle.

'I think after the second goal we scored we had three or four clear chances to score one more. They also had one more with [Harvey] Barnes that I remember, but overall I think a draw is the correct result.

'The key to the first half for me was the first goal we conceded, because after a few minutes we conceded a goal and the game goes in the direction that they want. So that goal we conceded for me was the key.

'Then in the second half, we scored twice, we could have scored more goals, we changed some things at half-time. But at this stadium, 2-0 down at half-time, you come back, it is not easy for any team.'

Indeed, it was the mentality shown in the second half by the Blues to fight back to secure a point which had seemed unlikely at half-time that pleased Maresca most.

After all, St James' Park is one of the most difficult Premier League grounds to visit, and a place where we had tasted defeat on our last four trips, so a point on Tyneside is not to be underestimated.

'For sure in the first half we have things that we can do better, but the way they showed in the second half character, togetherness, they have to feel proud.

'Being 2-0 down against Newcastle away, in this stadium, in this noise, in this environment, it is not easy, not many teams could do that, and they have done it.'