Reece James’ phenomenal showing at St James’ Park has earned him a nomination for the Premier League Player of the Matchweek, following a commanding performance in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Newcastle United.
The Blues captain was central to the comeback after going two goals down, producing moments that shifted the game’s direction and kept Chelsea alive late on. His stunning free kick early in the second half gave Chelsea belief again, before João Pedro eventually completed the fightback, as reported by SoftFootball in the match report.
James’ influence on both ends of the pitch made his nomination, which was shared by Chelsea on their official X account, feel almost inevitable.
Chelsea posted:
Reece James’ phenomenal showing at Newcastle sees him nominated for #PL Player of the Matchweek.
Chelsea were struggling before the interval, but James dragged them back into contention in the 49th minute with a superb 30-yard free-kick that kissed the inside of the post on its way in. It was his second league goal of the season, already matching his combined Premier League tally from the last three campaigns.
The strike completely changed the momentum as Newcastle suddenly looked nervous, and Chelsea fed off it. James was just as important defensively. In the 77th minute, with Newcastle threatening to restore their lead, he produced a perfectly timed recovery tackle to deny Harvey Barnes after a dangerous counter.
It was one of those actions that does not always get the loudest cheer, but it mattered just as much as the goal. Without it, Chelsea would have probably left Tyneside empty-handed.
Unsurprisingly, the reaction was loud. Chelsea fans voted James as their Player of the Match on the official app with 78 per cent of the vote. He finished the match with 65 touches, 50 passes and a team-high nine final third entries, numbers that underlined his control of the contest.
James is up against stiff competition for the award. Dan Ballard impressed as Sunderland held Brighton, Dominic Calvert-Lewin continued his scoring run for Leeds, and Erling Haaland hit another milestone with goals and an assist against West Ham, a performance covered by SoftFootball.
Morgan Rogers starred again for Aston Villa in their win over Manchester United, while Keane Lewis-Potter, Anton Stach and Nick Woltemade also caught the eye.
For James, though, this nomination feels like a marker. Fit, confident and leading from the front, he looks more like himself again, and Chelsea are clearly better for it.
