Cole Palmer's star continues to rise and so does Chelsea. It was far from a complete performance, but Enzo Maresca's players shone at times and had enough to outdo Newcastle, who are now winless in five games and look unlikely to be a factor in the middle of the table. Palmer was once again the mastermind, playing a brilliant role in Nicolas Jackson's first-half goal and then beating Nick Pope early in the second half, sending Alexander Isak's equalizer into oblivion. Even though Chelsea lacked the control to ease their hyperactive head coach, they won with explosive attacks that their opponents couldn't match.

Jackson's goal capped an opening period in which each side had left enough space to give the other plenty of encouragement. It was a fairly simple finish that was executed crisply on the run, but the build-up was breathtaking. Palmer's whip pass from the middle of the Chelsea half took Tino Livramento out of the frame and sent Pedro Neto, who batted the ball away from a slipping Fabian Schär, running down the left side. The resulting shot was perfect for Jackson and Chelsea were able to show that this time they had fallen behind with some fine clearances on the right.

It hadn't quite worked before when Jackson played through Palmer in the third minute and scored a scuffed finish to Pope that was initially deemed legal. Palmer's muted celebration suggested he knew something was afoot, and sure enough the video assistant referee showed he was slightly offside in pursuit of the pass.

It was a good performance in bright autumn sunshine and Newcastle showed the desire to press despite the frustration of losing Anthony Gordon with a groin injury. If Isak's equalizer hadn't looked inevitable, there would have been enough signs that Chelsea could be exposed. Miguel Almirón had taken a half-chance shortly after taking the lead and Harvey Barnes, replacing Gordon, saw Malo Gusto save a shot from close range after Isak had confidently tamed a high ball.

Then Barnes found a meticulous move through the middle third that was technically superb from a Newcastle perspective but all too easy from a stealth perspective, and he fed the overlapping Lewis Hall. On the ground that was once his territory, the left-back flashed over a midfielder who Isak bundled at waist height. A frustratingly long VAR review of another offside call confirmed he had done nothing wrong and historians were able to record Newcastle's first goal from play since September 21.

Neto, Chelsea's biggest threat at this point, tried to break up the celebrations but his deflected looper was saved by a flying Pope. This felt like exactly the kind of situation where someone could fill the leadership void that has been bothering Maresca so much lately. But in a combative end to the half it was the Italian who attracted most of the attention, raging against his team in a series of decisions and taking out the frustration on his pitch. By half-time, Newcastle had become stronger and Chelsea, who had looked exciting with their quick ball movement, were looking for new ideas.

It only took 75 seconds of the second half for Palmer to find something new. Isak failed to keep the ball up halfway and a push from Roméo Lavia was enough to send his teammates into the gap between midfield and defense. You always get the feeling that Palmer will do well in these situations and he justified it with a confident, low finish from 15 yards; However, Pope will rue being beaten despite the crispness of the shot at his near post.

Now Chelsea smelled blood and Neto climbed up and headed Noni Madueke's deep cross onto the outside of Pope's right post. When Gusto was given permission to run across the 18-yard line, he darted wildly; There was nothing but scuffles and scuffles in Newcastle, and Eddie Howe conferred extensively with his assistant Jason Tindall on the touchline, just meters from the prowling Maresca.

Reece James, playing at left-back, headed an Isak cross from under the crossbar as Newcastle finally moved. Barnes wasted a counterattack by running into traffic before Schär fired a free-kick into the air and it was no surprise when Howe made the difference with a triple substitution for the final quarter.

One of those substitutes, Joe Willock, delivered a pass so Isak headed down and saw James intervene again. Chelsea's previous urgency had faltered and the crowd's alarm, particularly given Robert Sánchez's continued sloppy distribution, was audible. With 15 minutes remaining, Sánchez was unprotected when Isak reached a pass down the inside right and skipped around him, only to appear caught between a solo attack from a tight angle and the equalizer to an open Sean Longstaff. Isak eventually lost control, but it was a reminder that any further drift from Chelsea risked punishment.

Mykhailo Mudryk, recently introduced, tried to settle the matter but Pope saved well. A late penalty awarded, in which Dan Burn appeared to have fouled Christopher Nkunku, was overturned following further VAR intervention, but Chelsea had done enough.