Chelsea wins with youngest squad in Premier League history

Striker Nicolas Jackson continued to shine with his fourth goal in the last five games for Chelsea, when he opened the scoring in the 18th minute. Although Alexander Isak equalized for Newcastle, 14 minutes later, Cole Palmer scored early in the second half to seal the victory for the home team, helping Enzo Maresca's army rise to fifth in the Premier League after nine rounds.

Chelsea's starting XI has an average age of 23 and 220 days, the youngest in the Premier League since the 1992-93 season. The previous record was held by Leeds United in the 1999-2000 season with an average age of 24 and 162 days. The Leeds squad at that time included U23 players such as Jonathan Woodgate, Ian Harte, Lee Bowyer, Harry Kewell and Alan Smith.

Chelsea are also the first team in the history of the competition to play their first nine games without a player over the age of 27. The oldest player to have played this season is 27-year-old centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo. The majority of Chelsea's starting XI are under-23s.

Jackson and Palmer, 23 and 22 respectively, are making a big contribution to Chelsea's rise compared to recent seasons. They have been involved in 84 goals together since joining Chelsea in the summer of 2023. This season, the Senegalese striker has scored six goals and assisted three times in the Premier League, while Palmer has seven goals and five assists.

With 20 goals in 44 Premier League games, Jackson equals Fernando Torres' record for Chelsea from 2011-2015. Only four players have reached this milestone faster: Diego Costa in 26 games, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in 27, Palmer in 33 and Mark Stein in 37.

After the match on October 27, many Chelsea players also surrounded captain Reece James, as he lay on the pitch. This was the first time the 25-year-old defender played the full 90 minutes for Chelsea in 558 days. Before the match, coach Maresca also publicly said that James needed to show better leadership skills. The performance against Newcastle was a suitable response from the Chelsea captain.

The home side almost conceded a draw to Newcastle in this match because goalkeeper Robert Sanchez made a few errors in his possession. However, coach Maresca defended his player after the match. "Sanchez made a lot of mistakes because I told him to pass short a lot," he said. "If he didn't do that, he would be replaced. Those mistakes are my responsibility, not Sanchez's."

Chelsea will meet Newcastle again in the next match, this time at St James Park in the fourth round of the English League Cup, on the evening of October 30.