LONDON (AP) — A week of unprecedented turmoil for Chelsea ended with a moment of joy.
In a game that came to symbolize the Premier League’s connections to so-called “sportswashing” by unsavoury owners, Kai Havertz netted an 89th-minute winner to give Chelsea 1-0 victory over Newcastle in the Premier League on Sunday.
Havertz used an exquisite first touch to control a cross into the box and then slotted a calm finish into the net to set off wild celebrations among the capacity crowd at Stamford Bridge.
It may be some time before Chelsea plays in front of a sold-out home stadium again after the UK government imposed sanctions on Russian owner Roman Abramovich, but the uncertainty surrounding the club’s future has so far not had an effect on the pitch.
The win followed a 3-1 victory over Norwich on Thursday and maintained Chelsea’s solid grip on third place in the standings. For Newcastle, it was the club's first league loss of the year, ending a nine-game unbeaten run.
But this was always going to be a game that stood out more because of events off the pitch.
Chelsea has been granted a special license to keep playing after Abramovich was sanctioned because of his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, halting his attempt to sell the club.
Newcastle, meanwhile, is facing renewed scrutiny after Saudi Arabia staged a mass execution on Saturday, putting to death 81 people convicted of various crimes. Newcastle was bought by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund in October, although both the club and the Premier League have insisted that the Saudi state isn’t involved in the running of the club.
Havertz may have been fortunate to escape with just a yellow card for elbowing Dan Burn in the head in an aerial duel in the first half. In the end, his goal meant Chelsea escaped with a win that may quell talk of a full-blown crisis — for now.
In other games, Watford boosted its hopes of avoiding relegation with a 2-1 win at Southampton and Leeds ended a six-game losing streak by beating last-place Norwich 2-1 thanks to an injury-time winner. West Ham also earned a 2-1 win over Aston Villa after Ukrainian forward Andriy Yarmolenko scored the opening goal and Wolverhampton beat Everton 1-0.
Arsenal was playing Leicester in the late game.
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