Newcastle, England (SportsNetwork.com) - Papiss Cisse came off the bench to score a pair of goals in the second half as Newcastle handed Chelsea its first defeat of the season in 2-1 fashion at St James' Park on Saturday.
The Blues entered the match having not lost in all competitions since April, but after a scoreless first half, Cisse provided the spark that Newcastle needed as he replaced Remy Cabella and proceeded to score twice in the span of 21 minutes to put the Magpies up 2-0.
Steven Taylor collected a second yellow card in the 81st for the hosts, and Chelsea made the most of the chance as Didier Drogba headed home a free kick seven minutes from time to set up a nervy finish.
However, Newcastle held out to claim its biggest win of the season, while Chelsea is now just three points ahead of second-place Manchester City, which edged Everton, 1-0, thanks to a first-half penalty kick from Yaya Toure.
Chelsea controlled large portions of the first half without getting a goal, and the home side came to life a bit with the introduction of Cisse eight minutes into the second half.
Sammy Ameobi set up the opening goal when he got down the left wing and drove a low ball toward the front of goal which Chelsea defender Gary Cahill failed to cut out, allowing Cisse a simple tap-in from close range.
Eden Hazard nearly equalized in the 77th minute with a first-time shot that struck the post from 12 yards, only to see Newcastle go back down the field and double the lead.
Moussa Sissoko made a nice run in behind the Chelsea back line and he drew goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois off his line before sliding the ball to Cisse for the final touch.
Taylor received his marching orders a few minutes later, and a Cesc Fabregas free kick was turned home by the head of Drogba, bringing the visitors back into the match.
But substitute goalkeeper Jak Alnwick preserved the win with a nice save on Diego Costa as Chelsea desperately searched for an equalizer which never materialized.
Arsenal's comeback bid fell short against Stoke City as the Gunners lost 3-2 to the Potters after going behind 3-0 in the first half.
Peter Crouch scored in the opening minute for Stoke, while Bojan Krkic and Jonathan Walters each added another goal before the break.
Arsenal's comeback began in the 68th when Santi Cazorla converted a penalty kick before Aaron Ramsey scored two minutes later to reduce the deficit to 3-2.
However, Calum Chambers picked up a second yellow card for the Gunners 12 minutes from time, helping Stoke hold on for all three points while dealing Arsenal its fourth defeat of the campaign.
Hull City and West Bromwich battled to a 0-0 draw with both sides fighting relegation, Liverpool was held to a 0-0 stalemate at Anfield by Sunderland, and Tottenham's match with Crystal Palace also failed to produce a goal as the two sides ended in a 0-0 draw.
QPR notched a huge win in Saturday's other match as second-half goals from Leroy Fer and Charlie Austin gave the side a 2-0 victory over Burnley, lifting Rangers out of the bottom three.
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