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After recording victories in their last five games, Chelsea fell to a 2-0 loss against Newcastle United in the Premier League on Sunday, May 11. However, despite their disappointing outing, fans lauded Moises Caicedo for his encouraging display against the Magpies.
Two minutes into the first half, Sandro Tonali gave the Magpies an early lead. The Italian received a terrific pass from Jacob Murphy in an unmarked position and put the ball in the back of the net.
While Chelsea were pushing for an equalizer, their probability of getting back took a hit after Nicolas Jackson was sent off in the 37th minute. The Blues striker elbowed Sven Botman in the face while contesting for the ball and was issued a red card.
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Jackson's red changed the tempo of the game as Newcastle controlled the rest of the first half. In the 71st minute, Bruno Guimaraes was close to doubling the Magpies' lead, but his effort flared over the right post.
In the 90th minute, Bruno made the scoreline 2-0, rifling his strike beyond the reach of goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Dan Burn provided the assist for the remarkable goal.
However, Caicedo, who featured at an unnatural position (right-back), was impressive in defense and maintained 95% (60/63) passing accuracy during the game. He registered four clearances, won all aerial duels contested (2/2), and won five out of 10 ground duels (via Sofascore).
Despite the loss, fans took to X to laud the Ecuadorian for his impressive display after the game, with one tweeting:
"Shout out Caicedo he still played well and didn’t give up."
"Caicedo I love you okay Just know I’ll always be there to defend you," another added.
"I will remember this second half performance, Caicedo was incredible , I will back Maresca," a fan opined.
"Shout out Caicedo he still played well and didn’t give up," a fan shared.
"Caicedo genuinely the only one that should be on a bus to London," another suggested.
"Caicedo is the only good Chelsea player," wrote another.
How is Chelsea's UEFA Champions League (UCL) qualification possibility looking?
Following their defeat to Newcastle United, Chelsea have dropped to the fifth spot in the Premier League standings, with 63 points from 36 league games. They are two points behind fourth-placed Manchester City, and level on points with Aston Villa at sixth.
Their remaining games are against long-term rivals Manchester United and Nottingham Forest, who are also striving for European qualification and are just a point behind the Blues in seventh at the time of writing.
The Blues will need favorable results in their last two fixtures to obtain UCL qualification ahead of Aston Villa and Nottingham.
