EDDIE Howe says Newcastle’s ambition in the final quarter of the Premier League campaign is to rediscover their best form but that will be impossible while they continue to be plagued by issues that have troubled them all season.

Injuries, inconsistency and dodgy defending have all proved problematic for the Magpies this term and were again costly as Howe’s side went down 3-2 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Monday night.

Not since Newcastle beat Chelsea and then Manchester United back at the end of November and start of December have they managed to string together successive wins in the Premier League. And after their first clean sheet in 10 games against Wolves last time out, hopes of a repeat quickly disappeared when Nicolas Jackson opened the scoring for Chelsea after just six minutes – quickly easing the tension and frustration in Stamford Bridge that the Magpies will have hoped to use to their advantage.

Alexander Isak hit a stunning equaliser on the verge of half-time and Jacob Murphy's goal in second half stoppage time was equally as impressive but the damage was done in between, with Cole Palmer and substitute Mykhailo Mudryk scoring the decisive Chelsea goals.

It’s hardly ideal preparation for the season defining trip to Manchester City this weekend. And as if the FA Cup tie against the treble winners wasn’t daunting enough, Newcastle may well be without Anthony Gordon after the forward was forced off in the first half with a knee injury. The timing could hardly have been worse for Gordon – with Gareth Southgate in attendance at Stamford Bridge ahead of naming his England squad on Thursday for this month’s friendlies against Brazil and Belgium – and for Newcastle, for whom the Scouse forward is so crucial.

To add to Howe’s problems, Harvey Barnes was missing at Stamford Bridge with what Newcastle described as a minor hamstring injury.

The pre-match stats made for grim reading on Monday night. Newcastle had only won one of their last 28 games at Chelsea, hadn’t completed a double over the Blues since 1987 and had lost six of their last eight away games.

This, though, felt like an opportunity to bring a string of wretched runs in this part of the capital to an end. The Stamford Bridge regulars were unhappy, Mauricio Pochettino was under pressure and had Newcastle got themselves in front, the home supporters would likely have made life very uncomfortable for those in blue.

Instead, the home fans were celebrating an opening goal after just six minutes. And, like so many the Magpies have conceded this season, it was a goal gifted by Newcastle.

Dan Burn failed to stop Malo Gusto’s cross, which was heading straight for the arms of Martin Dubravka, only for Sven Botman to step in and made a mess of a clearance that reached only as far as Palmer on the edge of the box. His shot looked to be going wide but was instinctively flicked in by Jackson. Howe was understandably furious.

While Newcastle set about trying to recover from their early setback, Gordon was never able to recover from the knee injury he picked up in the opening stages. He tried to play on but never looked comfortable and was eventually replaced by Jacob Murphy with 10 minutes to play in the first half.

The equaliser two minutes before the break was all about two moments of Newcastle class. First, from Bruno, to create a yard for himself in midfield and then pick out Isak, who took the ball down, opened his body and found the bottom corner with a fierce and clinical finish, United’s first effort on target. It was worth the wait.

Newcastle started the second half promisingly, with Almiron stinging the hands of Djordje Petrovic but it was Chelsea who took control. Palmer found space between the Newcastle midfield and defence on the edge of the area, took a touch to set himself and lashed low to Dubravka’s left and into the bottom corner.

Mudryk scored Chelsea's third after a counter led by Jackson, with the substitute rounding Dubravka and finishing well. Murphy's finish was stunning but it was too little too late.