Newcastle United have moved back up to third place in the Premier League table courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Chelsea at St James' Park this evening.
Joe Willock scored the only goal of the game for the high-flying Magpies, who underlined their top-four credentials with a fifth successive top-flight win.
The result lifts them back above Tottenham Hotspur, who had moved above them into third courtesy of a dramatic 4-3 triumph over Leeds United earlier in the day, and to within two points of champions Manchester City heading into the World Cup break.
Indeed, Eddie Howe's side are temporarily just four points adrift of leaders Arsenal, although that gap could grow back to seven when the Gunners face Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday evening.
Chelsea, meanwhile, slump to a third successive league defeat and a fifth Premier League game in a row without a win, leaving them eighth in the table with five defeats now from their opening 14 outings.
It is also four defeats in five games for Graham Potter's side across all competitions as they head into the mid-season break on their worst run of form since 2015.
In a game short of clear-cut chances for both sides, Willock provided the telling moment of quality with the decisive goal midway through the second half.
A dangerous run from October Premier League player of the month Miguel Almiron saw the ball break into the path of Willock, who curled a brilliant first-time strike into the far corner from the edge of the box.
The Magpies held on through more than seven minutes of an ill-tempered added time at the end of the game, although Nick Pope was rarely troubled in the home side's goal, with a save from Conor Gallagher his most testing piece of action throughout the 90 minutes.
The result means that Chelsea have lost three Premier League games on the bounce for the first time since 2015 and only the second time this century, while Newcastle have won five in a row for the first time since 2014.
More importantly, though, Howe's side will spend Christmas Day in the top three of the Premier League table for the first time since the 2001-02 campaign, with this victory further underlining their genuine credentials of securing a Champions League berth this season.
Newcastle could even move above champions Man City when domestic football returns next month, with the Magpies next in action away to Leicester City on December 26, while Man City do not feature until two days later.
Potter, meanwhile, will no doubt look to use the World Cup break to arrest his side's alarming slump in form in recent weeks as Chelsea now find themselves facing an uphill battle to make the top four this season. body check tags ::
