Chelsea eased some of the pressure on coach Mauricio Pochettino with a 3-2 home win over fellow mid-table side Newcastle United in the Premier League on Monday with Cole Palmer, the Blues’ best player this season, creating one goal and scoring another.

Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson diverted a Palmer shot past goalkeeper Martin Dubravka in the sixth minute before Newcastle got an equaliser in the 43rd when Alexander Isak curled a shot beyond the diving Djordje Petrovic.

Chelsea, urged on by their fans after some had turned on Pochettino and the club’s US owners in a 2-2 draw at Brentford nine days ago, restored their lead in the 57th when Palmer, the Blues’ top scorer this season who is in contention to go to the Euros with England this year, scored from outside the box.

Substitute Mykhailo Mudryk made it 3-1 in the 76th minute. A fierce shot by Jacob Murphy gave the visitors hope in the 90th minute but Chelsea held on.

The win left Chelsea in 11th position, a point and one place behind Newcastle but with a game in hand.

Both clubs have failed to live up to the hopes of their deep-pocketed owners with Newcastle manager Eddie Howe under just as fierce a spotlight as Pochettino at Chelsea.

It was the Argentine who could breathe a sigh of relief on Monday as the home fans left Stamford Bridge singing the Bob Marley song chorus ‘Don’t worry about a thing’.

“We played a very good team with amazing players,” he told the BBC. “We made the victory, but we keep looking forward and moving forward — the most important is the three points.

Palmer said he is confident Pochettino’s “project” will bear fruit, though fans may have to be patient for a couple of seasons before the club reaps the rewards of his work.

“There is so much talent at Chelsea,” Palmer told the club’s website. “The way that the manager works with us on the pitch, and the things he does with us, it’s only going to get better.”