As Chelsea came back from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw against Newcastle on Saturday, Chelsea rescued Enzo Maresca from more tense questions.
After Newcastle’s Nick Woltemade scored twice in the first half at St James’ Park, Maresca’s side was in danger of a crushing defeat.
Reece James’ excellent free-kick and Joao Pedro’s eye-catching solo effort gave Chelsea a second chance after the break.
Chelsea have only won one of their last five top-flight games, which places them fourth in the Premier League.
After a turbulent week that sparked questions about the Italian’s long-term future with the club, Maresca’s gritty comeback was crucial.
Maresca asserted on Friday that there was “100% speculation” about his potential replacement for Pep Guardiola as Manchester City manager.
Should Guardiola leave at the end of the season, according to reports from City, Maresca will be put on a list of candidates.
Maresca’s criticism of a lack of support from the Chelsea hierarchy led to the release of the City link.
After last weekend’s win over Everton, Maresca, who is currently on a contract with the club, claimed that his last 48 hours had been his worst because he and his players had not received the support he needed during a troubling run of results.
This season, criticism has been made of Chelsea’s rotation policy, which occasionally leaves the team with disjointed and poorly organized.
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Jig of Joy
Maresca switched to his senior stars after making 11 changes for the League Cup quarter-final defeat of third-tier Cardiff on Tuesday, but they had a poor start on Tyneside.
After conceding to the Magpies 1-0 defeat at bitter rival Sunderland last weekend, Woltemade was unwaveringly determined to find redemption.
In just four minutes, the enthusiastic German striker had made the desired impact.
Anthony Gordon received a cross from Jacob Murphy at the far post, and Woltemade made a good save from five yards before slotting his shot past Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
Woltemade celebrated only his second goal in his last 12 games, all competitions, leaving Maresca speechless over Chelsea’s poor defense.
Chelsea continued to fall further behind in the 20th minute because they couldn’t handle Newcastle’s intensity.
Chelsea’s sloppy defense waited too long for Gordon, who then delivered a pin-point cross that demanded a finishing touch.
Woltemade obliged, sticking out a boot to fire home from close range before a drawn-out VAR check revealed the German was onside.
On the eve of half-time, Gordon and Woltemade carved open Chelsea once more, but this time it seemed more straightforward.
In the 49th minute, James reduced the deficit with a sublime free-kick that flew past Newcastle’s goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, and Maresca’s half-time team talk had the desired effect.
Crucially, after Trevoh Chalobah’s barge struck Gordon, Newcastle were controversially denied a penalty.
In recent weeks, Eddie Howe’s team has been hampered by defensive injuries, with the injured Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Sven Botman, and Tino Livramento.
And Chelsea finally made the most of Newcastle’s weakness with Pedro Neto’s brilliant stop from Ramsdale.
As Sanchez’ long kick was deftly headed past Malick Thiaw in the 66th minute, Joao Pedro skillfully headed it past him before crashing into the Newcastle area for a clinical low finish.
Maresca danced a cheerleading jig on the touchline, and his joy was palpable.
