Woltemade Excited to Repay Newcastle Supporters Following Tyne-Wear Derby Own Goal
Nick Woltemade felt he provided a performance that could compensate for his own goal during Newcastle United’s Tyne-Wear derby loss in Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Chelsea. Woltemade found the net twice at St. James’ Park, kicking off the scoring just four minutes in and then adding another 16 minutes later with a superb finish from Anthony Gordon’s precise cross. The German international became only the fourth player to score two goals in the first 20 minutes of a Premier League match, joining Robbie Fowler for Liverpool in November 1994, Paul Scholes for Manchester United in October 1995, and Sergio Aguero for Manchester City in February 2019. However, Eddie Howe’s squad could not maintain their two-goal lead, as Reece James’ spectacular free-kick in the 49th minute brought Chelsea back into contention. The comeback was completed shortly after the hour mark when Joao Pedro took advantage of Robert Sanchez’s long kick forward, deftly slotting the ball into the bottom-right corner. Despite the outcome, Woltemade expressed satisfaction with his individual display, especially after scoring an own goal in last weekend’s 1-0 loss to Sunderland. He concluded the match with a team-high three shots and five touches in the opponent’s box before being substituted for Yoane Wissa in the 73rd minute. “Last week was not a good week or a good game for me. When I came into the (EFL Cup) game on Wednesday, the crowd sang my name, which was lovely,” Woltemade remarked. “It was amazing, and I knew they still liked me even when I scored the own goal. I wanted to give a good performance today, and I think I did. I just want to say thank you to the fans for still being good with me.”
4 – Nick Woltemade is the fourth player to score twice within the opening 20 minutes of a Premier League game against Chelsea, after Robbie Fowler for Liverpool (Nov 1994), Paul Scholes for Manchester United (Oct 1995), and Sergio Agüero for Manchester City in (Feb 2019). Rapid. pic.twitter.com/ra68yipFog — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 20, 2025
Nonetheless, the Newcastle forward lamented his team’s late collapse, a troubling trend for the Magpies, who missed an opportunity to break into the upper half of the standings. No team has relinquished more points from winning positions in the Premier League this season than Newcastle, with 13 points lost, tied with Brentford ahead of the matches later in the day. Additionally, this marked the first instance since August 2022 against Manchester City (3-3) that the Magpies failed to win a league contest after leading by two or more goals, ending a streak of 40 consecutive victories in such scenarios. “Not good. We played an amazing first half with great energy and pressed really well,” Woltemade stated. “But in the second half, we still did quite well, but it’s unfortunate we conceded two goals in two situations from which we normally don’t concede. If you saw how we played in the first half, we can win against every team. I don’t know why we conceded two goals. It happened. We’ll keep working on it, and maybe next time, we can play 90 minutes like that.” This sentiment was shared by Newcastle head coach Howe, who noted that his side recorded seven shots (five on target) compared to Chelsea’s four (none on target), six significant chances to none, and an expected goals (xG) ratio of 1.97 to 0.24. However, in the second half, Enzo Maresca’s squad outshot Newcastle with nine attempts (four on target) against four (none on target), attaining an xG of 1.02 to 0.29. “Difficult because we played so well today. An outstanding performance, especially in the first half. Devastated for the lads that we didn’t get the win,” Howe reflected. “(The first half) was a reminder of how good we can be. Athletically so good, and the press was excellent for us too, and we were a real threat. It’s further evidence that we are improving. We need more of that.”
Published: 2025-12-20 15:42:00
source: www.soccernews.com
