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Newcastle squander two-goal lead in thrilling 2-2 draw with Chelsea

NEWCASTLE, England, Dec 20 - Newcastle United were held to a 2-2 draw by Chelsea after Nick Woltemade's first-half double was cancelled out by a Reece James free kick and Joao Pedro equaliser in an entertaining clash in the Premier League on Saturday.

Woltemade's double inside 20 minutes had Newcastle flying but once again Eddie Howe's side squandered a lead, extending their clean sheet drought to 10 Premier League games after a resurgent Chelsea made a stirring comeback in the second half.

The result leaves Chelsea in fourth place with 29 points while Newcastle, whose defensive frailties continue to cost them precious points, remain in the bottom half in 11th with 23.

"It was clearly a game of two halves. In the first half they got the better of us in nearly every department," James told TNT Sports.

"Second half, we came out, we had to review and change a few things. We started the second half quick and the game turned quickly."

WOLTEMADE MAKES AMENDS

Still smarting from Sunday's derby defeat at Sunderland , Newcastle burst out of the blocks and needed less than four minutes to take the lead at a raucous St James' Park when Woltemade made amends for his own goal last week.

Jacob Murphy's cross found Anthony Gordon at the far post but Chelsea's Robert Sanchez made a superb save, only for the ball to fall to Woltemade in the box and the Germany striker fired home the rebound.

Chelsea were rattled and before they could recover found themselves 2-0 down when Gordon curled another cross in and Woltemade stuck a leg out to direct the ball inside the far post.

Woltemade was inches away from a first-half hat-trick when Gordon found him with another tantalising cross, but the striker volleyed just wide while Lewis Miley also headed over from a set-piece before the halftime whistle.

JAMES FREE KICK PROVIDES BREAKTHROUGH

Chelsea needed inspiration after the break and their captain James provided it four minutes after the restart when he stood over a free kick and curled his shot past the outstretched arm of Aaron Ramsdale to make it 2-1.

It was Chelsea's first shot on target and galvanised Enzo Maresca's side.

Newcastle attempted to respond and were also denied a penalty when Trevoh Chalobah made a robust challenge on Gordon without playing the ball but their appeals were dismissed by the referee and VAR.

Newcastle's lead evaporated in the 66th minute when Sanchez launched a long ball for Joao Pedro, who escaped marker Malick Thiaw, who slipped, before placing his shot past Ramsdale.

"I told him (Sanchez) at halftime to play this ball to me. I controlled the ball in front and I scored a brilliant goal," Joao Pedro told the BBC.

Chelsea were fired up and James once again led by example when he tracked back to deny Newcastle substitute Harvey Barnes, sliding in just as the winger was about to pull the trigger.

Barnes nearly snatched the win when he got on the end of a cross and volleyed with power but his shot flew inches wide of the far post as the home fans let out a collective groan.

Brandt double not enough as Dortmund held to 2-2 draw by Bodo/Glimt

DORTMUND, Germany, 🇩🇪 - Julian Brandt scored two goals for Borussia Dortmund but they had to settle for a point as visitors Bodo/Glimt twice came from behind to secure a 2-2 draw in their Champions League clash on Wednesday.

The draw leaves Dortmund 10th in the table with 11 points from their six games, while Bodo/Glimt remain winless and in 32nd place with three draws from their six fixtures.

Brandt gave Dortmund the lead following a poor pass from Haitam Aleesami, but the latter made amends when he equalised just before halftime.

The home side applied plenty of pressure after the break and were rewarded early as Brandt netted his second with a tap-in from a rebound, before Jens Petter Hauge restored parity again for the visitors 15 minutes from the end.

"We started to play erratically," Dortmund captain Nico Schlotterbeck told DAZN. "The players who came in lost every ball. Some were not aware of how important this game was."

Bodo/Glimt are enjoying a debut season in the Champions League and while they are yet to register a win, there have been signs they are getting to grips with the competition and this was another accomplished display.

Dortmund will feel they had enough chances to win it though with the lion’s share of possession and 22 shots at goal, but wayward finishing and some fine goalkeeping denied them three points.

The home side took the lead on 18 minutes as a quick counter-attack after Aleesami's poor pass in midfield created a three-on-one situation for the hosts and Fabio Silva picked out Brandt on the left, who supplied a composed finish.

Maximilian Beier put a free header wide of goal for the hosts shortly afterwards as the visitors drew level three minutes before the break.

Patrick Berg’s delivery from a short corner was perfect for Aleesami to head into the back of the net and make up for his earlier error.

Dortmund restored their advantage five minutes after halftime as Brandt scored his second of the game.

Beier's header was only parried by Bodo/Glimt goalkeeper Nikita Haikin and Brandt was left with a simple tap-in from the rebound.

But the visitors kept pushing for an equaliser and levelled the score 15 minutes from the end as Hauge finished emphatically when the ball fell to him in the box.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Flick's Barça embraces comebacks: against Frankfurt, the fourth in a row!

Hansi Flick's Barça chains its fourth consecutive comeback and already has seven this season, with a decisive Koundé in the European return to Spotify Camp Nou

Hansi Flick's FC Barcelona continues to demonstrate surprising competitive strength. In the return of a European match to the Spotify Camp Nou, the Blaugrana overcame Eintracht Frankfurt (2-1) thanks to a brace from Jules Koundé in the early minutes of the second half.

The triumph not only keeps the team on an upward trajectory but also extends a historic record: Barça has now strung together four consecutive comebacks and has seven so far in the 2025/26 season. The victory against Eintracht came after a sluggish first half, in which the Germans took advantage of their only clear chance to take the lead.

But the script was the same as in previous matches: an insistent **Barça**, confident in its approach and capable of turning the score around with a mix of conviction, energy, and collective determination. Flick's team has made the word comeback a recurring hallmark.

4 comebacks in a row: the figures of a Barça accustomed to reacting

Hansi Flick's team has made resilience one of its main strengths. Since his arrival, Barça has achieved a total of 16 comebacks spread across last season and the current one:

9 comebacks in the 2024/25 season 7 comebacks in the 2025/26 season
And the four consecutive comebacks in question — **Alavés (3-1), Atlético (3-1), Betis (3-5) and Eintracht (2-1)** — show a clear pattern: even when the team suffers, it rarely loses its identity or emotional control

In total, 16 of the 60 victories achieved by Barça with Flick on the bench have come after falling behind on the scoreboard. A notable percentage that speaks to both the group's competitive ability and the German coach's tactical impact.

Hansi Flick's 16 Barcelona Comebacks

2024/25 Season

Valencia 1-2 Barcelona
Rayo 1-2 Barcelona
Barcelona 5-2 Real Madrid
Benfica 4-5 Barcelona
Atlético 2-4 Barcelona
Barcelona 4-3 Celta
Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid
Valladolid 1-2 Barcelona
Barcelona 4-3 Real Madrid

2025/26 Season

Levante 2-3 Barcelona
Real Oviedo 1-3 Barcelona
Barcelona 2-1 Real Sociedad
Barcelona 3-1 Alavés
Barcelona 3-1 Atlético
Betis 3-5 Barcelona

Barcelona 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Historic milestone: Barça had never come back from four consecutive matches

Until this week, the Barcelona club had never strung together four victories after falling behind on the scoreboard. A record that defines the personality of Hansi Flick's team and that directly links to their way of competing: constant high pressing, offensive rhythm, tactical variety, and emotional capacity to sustain difficult matches.

With this new comeback, FC Barcelona reinforces an emotional state that has become its trademark: the ability to react to adversity and the firmness to turn around difficult matches. The team continues to accumulate arguments to believe in a solid, competitive project prepared to fight for everything.

Kairat falls to Olympiacos in home Champions League match

Almaty’s Kairat hosted Greece’s Olympiacos in a main stage Champions League fixture at Astana Arena, reports a Qazinform News Agency correspondent.

From the opening minutes, the initiative belonged to the visiting side. Olympiacos launched a series of dangerous attacks, and only the confident play of goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov kept Kairat in the game throughout the first half.

After the interval, the home team refreshed its lineup with Valery Gromyko and Jorginho, which allowed Kairat to create several promising chances. However, the Greek club opened the scoring when Gelson Martins netted from a sharp angle. Shortly afterward, the woodwork rescued Kairat three times, and the match concluded with a 0-1 defeat for the Almaty side.

Kairat entered the game without its young forward Dastan Satpayev, who did not play due to suspension.

The team will now prepare to face Belgium’s Brugge in Astana on 20 January.