Chelsea

Newcastle United have moved ahead of Chelsea in the race to sign 24-year-old defender Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace. (Teamtalk), external

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Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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BBC Sport's football news reporter Nizaar Kinsella has been answering your questions on the transfer window.

Tom: Do you know if Chelsea will be recalling some loan players for the Club World Cup? I'm hoping that Djordje Petrovic (still our best goalkeeper) and Andrey Santos get given the chance. It will make a pointless tournament much more interesting for me.

Nizaar: It is nearly certain that midfielder Andrey Santos will be involved and I also think goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic could be.

Petrovic is attracting a lot of transfer interest from within the Premier League and in Europe - and Chelsea might be tempted to sell him before the tournament starts.

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For the players and fans, Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi getting this injury in a situation where the offside flag should have been raised is so frustrating.

The frustration is when it is clear and obvious. Officials have been overseeing games for many years and they would always flag whether they were right or wrong.

Now technology has come into it, they are very reliant on VAR to make the right decision, the factual decision, about an offside. But, I think when an offside is so clear and obvious, it should be the duty of the assistant referee to put their flag up and stop play from the off.

When it is marginal, I understand we are a bit more hesitant when there are really fine margins, and we have seen those fine margins when goals have been given and it is a toenail to keep them on-side. I would understand it from that point of view, but it was on the halfway-line where the offside happened on Sunday, only for play to be allowed to continue.

It has been a matter of time. It has been a time bomb waiting to go off for somebody to get seriously injured. Awoniyi is the one that has got that injury - that horrific injury - because of it. Some will say it is only the first time it has happened in the duration of this rule, but it should never happen. That is how players will be looking at it, how fans and managers will be looking at it and saying 'it should never happen'. We should not wait for something to happen to reassess rules like this.

I don't like the ruling of it - it is on the halfway-line, it is clear and obviously offside, everybody in the stadium could probably see it. It should be for the assistant referee to make the decision. There are small margins in the box, I understand why they are a bit hesitant, but in open play, if somebody is sprinting, you could cause hamstring, quad, and all types of muscle injuries.

I am totally against this rule of waiting to put up the flag and I think most players and managers are as well. It's disappointing. I think it's a rule that nobody likes, and I'm sure in the summer off the back of this injury, one that will probably be reassessed.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson

Bournemouth's 20-year-old Spain centre-back Dean Huijsen dreams of joining Real Madrid, but Premier League trio Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal are prepared to trigger the defender's £50m release clause to get the deal done this month. (Fabrizio Romano, external)

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BBC Sport football reporter Nizaar Kinsella is answering your questions on the transfer window.

Sam: What are your thoughts on Chelsea's attack? I think Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku have got to go really.

Nizaar: Chelsea's absolute priority is to strengthen their attack by signing a striker and a right-footed left winger.

None of Sporting's Victor Gyokeres, Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko, Ipswich's Liam Delap, Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike nor even Napoli's Victor Osimhen have been ruled out and all are considered quality options.

They all have pros and cons but the issue is also the competition with clubs like Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and even the powerhouses of Europe like PSG, who are looking at the same players.

In the wide attacker position, Chelsea have spoken to representatives of Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho and Dortmund's Jamie Gittens in January. Those moves could be linked to whether Jadon Sancho signs permanently, or whether Mykhailo Mudryk is banned after allegedly failing a drugs test.

Read more from a transfer Q&A with our experts

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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I was exactly where I wanted to be at midday on Sunday, sitting on the halfway line as the Newcastle v Chelsea game kicked off. Too close a game to call before the whistle, it looked anything but that after just a couple of minutes.

‌Eddie Howe spotted a weakness in the Chelsea line up and the chink in their armour was their player of the year, Moises Caicedo. Enzo Maresca wanted his best players on the field. Romeo Lavia had been brilliant recently and Enzo Fernandez is seen as a leader, so just like last week there wasn't a midfield spot for Caicedo. No problem, stick him in at right back, he is an excellent player and a tenacious tackler. The problem is, he isn't a specialist right full-back and Howe knew it, so did Antony Gordon and the rest of his team.

‌The majority of the early Newcastle attacks pressured that precise area. You might get away with a stand-in full-back sometimes but against a specialist top-class winger, even a single positional error of a couple of yards can be costly and it was. It was mostly good luck that Howe's left-wing overloads didn't give Newcastle an unassailable lead by half-time. It should have been over as a contest when Nicolas Jackson was correctly red carded in the 34th minute.

‌Reece James and then Malo Gusto, both specialist right-backs, were brought on in the second half, and Caicedo was back to being brilliant and effective where he belongs in the midfield. With round pegs in round holes, even if there were only 10 of them, Chelsea dominated.

‌It was too late, those three dropped points may ultimately cost Chelsea a top-five position and many tens of millions of pounds. It was the quality and work rate from Newcastle, Howe's good tactics and a brilliantly noisy crowd that contributed to the win. But, the defeat was also in great part due to major mistakes by Jackson and his coach.

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Will Faulks
Fan writer

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At its best, league football is just as thrilling as a knockout competition, with even more at stake. The accumulated effort of nine months of matches are focused down to a few moments: thousands of minutes of playing time, hundreds of goals and dozens of results, all leading to a single instant which pays them off - or makes them irrelevant.

Chelsea fans felt that acutely in the moment where the first replays of Nicolas Jackson's arm to the neck of Sven Botman appeared on their screens on Sunday. A truly unique season in terms of the difference between its highs and its lows: great results and terrible results, a title race and relegation form in the space of a couple of months, all threatening to be turned into a moot point by a single rash action.

If that's how the fans feel, one can only imagine how Jackson's fellow players feel. The blood, sweat and tears they've put into this campaign might end up being - with respect to the Europa League - for nothing.

But football does like its redemption stories, and one can't rule that out here. Jackson won't get the chance to make amends in the league this season thanks to his suspension for the remaining games, and by the time we reach August and he's able to play again, he is likely to have some very expensive competition up front.

So while the Club World Cup was already very important for Chelsea financially, for Jackson it has now become important personally. It's a first opportunity to start earning back some faith from his supporters and from his colleagues. It will be a long road to forgiveness, but he can take the first steps in the USA.

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Sport's football news reporter Nizaar Kinsella has been answering your questions on the transfer window.

Chris: Chelsea surely need a striker. Who do you think is the most likely at the moment?

Nizaar: If I were to hazard a guess then I would say Ipswich striker Liam Delap is the most likely, given the connection key recruiter Joe Shields has to the player. His £30m release clause will also be seen as an opportunity by those at Stamford Bridge.

In saying that, Chelsea are quite guarded on which player is most likely to join.

One reason is that in Delap's case, for example, Manchester United are in the race. Another reason is Arsenal want a big-name striker, with both clubs also looking at Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko and Sporting's Viktor Gyokeres.

Even Victor Osimhen from Napoli (on loan at Galatasaray) isn't being ruled out at this stage, but Chelsea found his wage demands prohibitive when negotiating for him last summer.

I think Chelsea will be aggressive in signing a striker and end up with a capable option to complement Nicolas Jackson.

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Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy was critical of Chelsea's preparation for their vital game at Newcastle United on Sunday.

Losing 2-0 was damaging for Enzo Maresca's side as they strive to qualify for the Champions League next season.

"Chelsea players and manager didn't have a plan and they weren't prepared - I'll go as far as to say that," Murphy said on Match of the Day. "There's a few reasons why - mentally, as a player you have to be prepared for the ferocious press you are going to get.

"Pressing and going after the ball - was it strategic or planned? I don't think so because when [Newcastle] got the pass around the corner they had five against four. They were throwing men forward trying to press - it didn't look structured. It didn't look like they were worked on.

"There's nothing wrong with trying to play good football anywhere but you've got to be able to vary your play and make decisions on how the game is going. It didn't feel like the players were capable and they hadn't been given a plan from the coach."

Watch Match of the Day 2 here

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We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Newcastle and Chelsea.

Here are some of your comments:

John: Nicolas Jackson is simply not good enough for a club with Chelsea's ambition. He needs to be sold this summer and replaced by a top striker with a cool head.

Gary: I'm sorry, but I have never been a big fan of Nicolas Jackson, and I don't think he is the answer to our ongoing centre-forward problem. Today, he showed his true colours by getting himself stupidly sent off after 30 minutes in what was probably one of our most important games of the season. He could well have cost us a place in the Champions League next season. Couldn't knock the rest of the team's efforts after his dismissal, but it was an uphill struggle after that.

Phillip: Poor start to the game and the defence being switched off from the first minute against a good Newcastle side is a risk. Jackson's poor decision-making once again proves he is unable to consistently deliver at the top level. Good second-half performance, and hopefully we can beat Manchester United and Nottingham Forest.

Jack: Jackson's lack of discipline and petulance has cost us before and it will cost us again. He's got so much ability, but that kind of mistake is what will continue to make him a divisive figure in the club. So disappointing to see that kind of play from such a key player at such an important point in the season. What a shame.

Dave: Silly needless foul by Jackson. No need. No excuse. Despite playing well in the second half, we need proper firepower in attack. Noni Madueke, Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho don't create or score enough. Needed: potent attackers.

Jeff: Frustrated, We didn't seem to have a plan for this game. Everyone knows what you are going to get from Newcastle, They are a bullish-physical side. They get three to four bookings every week. Chelsea needed more beef in the line-up including a big centre-half. We are lightweight. This has to change if we are to compete in Europe.

Highlights and analysis from Sunday's five Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from the rest of the weekend.

If you missed Match of the Day 2, catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

And you can watch Saturday's Match of the Day here.

Listen back to the weekend's full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Southampton 0-0 Man City

• Bournemouth 0-1 Aston Villa

• Manchester United 0-2 West Ham

• Nottingham Forest 2-2 Leicester

• Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal

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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca speaking to BBC Match of the Day after the 2-0 defeat to Newcastle: "In this stadium it's already difficult, but to come here and for one hour to play with 10 players is not easy. Second half the team showed effort, spirit, energy, unbelievable. We must keep this spirit and energy for Friday.

"We had three clear chances second half, Cucurella, Enzo [Fernandez] and Reece [James]. The important thing is to arrive there. Unfortunately we didn't score. My message in the last five or six games was the game is gone, move on."

On Nicolas Jackson's red card: "It's not only for today, for the next two games, for him the season is finished. If the referee decides it's red it's because they decide and they are convinced. It can be easy to make some decisions like this in this stadium with its noise."

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Chelsea have lost six of their last nine away games in the Premier League (W1 D2). Since Christmas Day, only Leicester City (before their visit to Nottingham Forest later) and Southampton (both 4) have picked up fewer away points in the competition than Enzo Maresca's side (5).

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Five matches make up Sunday's Premier League action and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

• Newcastle v Chelsea (12:00)

• Manchester United v West Ham - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Nottingham Forest v Leicester City - BBC Radio 5 Live

• Tottenham v Crystal Palace - live on the BBC Sport website

• Liverpool v Arsenal (16:30) - BBC Radio 5 Live

All kick-off times 14:15 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

It's great to see two teams going head-to-head in this race for the top five and Chelsea probably come into it in better form after getting a great result against Liverpool on Sunday.

Yes, they were playing straight after Liverpool had won the title and the Reds had probably been celebrating all week, but they still had to put them away and they did that convincingly.

It means Enzo Maresca's side have won their past three league games so they will be full of confidence ahead of this one, but it's going to be tough for them to extend that run.

We know Maresca is a stickler for playing out from the back, but doing that against Newcastle is asking for trouble. The Magpies will put them under serious pressure, because that's what they do to teams at St James' Park.

Newcastle have got a very physical midfield which might be where the battle is won and lost, and of course Alexander Isak is such a threat too.

Chelsea have got match-winners too, if Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke are firing, and my first thought was that there will be lots of goals in this game.

With what's at stake, though, it might be a little cagier than that. I think the BBC readers will go for a draw but I am going to stick my neck out and say Newcastle will edge it.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here