Soccer-Newcastle squander two-goal lead in 2-2 draw with Chelsea

NEWCASTLE, England, Dec 20 (Reuters) – Newcastle United were held to a 2-2 draw by Chelsea after Nick Woltemade's first-half double was cancelled out by a Reece James free kick and Joao Pedro equaliser in an entertaining clash in the Premier League on Saturday. Woltemade made amends for his own goal last week in a derby defeat by Sunderland, scoring the opener after less than four minutes when he pounced on a rebound before doubling the home side's lead from an Anthony Gordon cross in the 20th. However, Chelsea skipper James halved the deficit four minutes into the second half with a curling free kick before the visitors equalised in the 66th from a long ball, with Joao Pedro escaping his marker to make it 2-2. Newcastle substitute Harvey Barnes missed two opportunities to win it for the hosts but when the final whistle blew the two teams had to settle for a share of the spoils. Chelsea remain fourth with 29 points while Newcastle are 11th with 23. (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)

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