If Newcastle United are to achieve their goal of qualifying for Europe this season, the last two months should be strong. There were still 27 points to be played in nine games, and even fifth place was not excluded.
A Champions League repeat was out of the question, but continuing to play in Europe was a key goal for Eddie Howe and his Magpies squad for next season. After the thrill of that comeback win over West Ham, the first match of April saw Everton come to St James’ Park.
United were without former Toffee Anthony Gordon after he was sent off in the closing stages against the Hammers, and without him the Magpies missed out on an edge. They still have plenty of opportunities to add to Alexander Isak’s opener, not least when Dan Burn looked to have made it 2-0 only for the most severe offside decisions against Isak in the build-up to the match.
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And they were left to rue their missed chances when Paul Dummett fouled Ashley Young in the penalty area and Everton grabbed a 1-1 draw thanks to Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s penalty. The performance, if not the result, boded well for the future and United continued to build with a win over Fulham. They were in second place for much of the first half but after some stern words from Eddie Howe the visitors stepped up their game.
Another VAR intervention saw Fabian Schar’s goal disallowed after a seemingly innocuous challenge from Burn, but United took the lead shortly afterwards, Bruno Guimaraes pushing home after good work from Harvey Barnes and Elliot Anderson on the left. Significantly, it was a performance built on a clean sheet at the back, with Schar and Burn forming a strong partnership in Sven Botman’s absence and youngster Lewis Hall finally getting some games at left-back.
Tottenham’s arrival at St James’ Park the following week brought back memories of the 6-1 of almost exactly a year earlier, although Spurs are a very different animal under Ange Postecoglou so there were few thoughts of a repeat performance.
Well… United may not have been 5-0 up after just 21 minutes as they were in April 2023, but it wasn’t a million miles away. While the pre-match talk was about how Newcastle’s makeshift defense would stack up against Son Heung-Min, James Maddison, Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson, the match itself was all about United’s attacking prowess.
Time and again Isak, Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimaraes and Jacob Murphy exposed the Spurs defence, with stylish Dutch stopper Micky van de Ven suffering a St James’ Park nightmare. Gordon set up Isak for the first time and stopped Destiny Udogie before sliding the Swede through.
He then cut inside, leaving Van de Ven sprawled and racing past Vicario. Two minutes later it was 2-0, and this time Gordon got on the scoresheet himself, taking advantage of a mistake in the Spurs defense and sending the home crowd wild. Tottenham are made of stronger stuff now, so surely they would bounce back? No chance.
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Isak made it 3-0 when he raced onto Bruno’s long ball and left the Spurs defense for dead before beating an exposed Vicario, and Schar finished with a free header from a corner. It could have been many more, but it showed United were back in contention for a European place.
Of course, things are never that simple at Newcastle United. The same side went to Crystal Palace just days later and were sent off after a comfortable 2-0 win for the Eagles. Manager Oliver Glasner had slowly started to turn around Palace’s fortunes, but United had a poor day at Selhurst Park and barely registered a threat as Jean-Philippe Mateta’s double meant Howe’s side had a long journey home without something to show for their efforts.
Surely the rails couldn’t detach from the European load that easily?
Five minutes into the home game against Sheffield United you might wonder what exactly happened when Anel Ahmedhodzic put the Blades – who knew a defeat would see them relegated – ahead. They could have easily increased that lead until United finally took control.
Alexander Isak calmed the nerves with a cool finish after a delightful Murphy pass and it was comfortable from then on. Fifteen minutes into the second half saw the game turn around, with Bruno Guimaraes putting Newcastle ahead after a well-worked set play and Isak doubling his tally from the penalty spot. Ben Osborn’s own goal sunk Sheffield United and when Callum Wilson came off the bench to make it 5-1, the Blades went back to the Championship.
They are joined in the second tier by Burnley, and United also had a big hand in sending them down. Vincent Kompany’s team made a good fist of a late survival bid, but were no match for the Magpies at Turf Moor. Howe opted for the less patchy Wilson-Isak double act, and United sliced through the home defense with ease.
Wilson opened the floodgates after Isak’s chance was parried, before Sean Longstaff and Guimaraes put the finishing touches to flowing moves to end the game before half-time. All that remained was for Isak to score his twentieth Premier League goal of the season. He squandered his first chance from the penalty spot, but minutes later made amends by turning home Murphy’s cross for PL goal No. 20.
Sixth place was now in the hands of United, but Brighton spoiled the momentum somewhat with a sloppy 1–1 draw, leaving Longstaff on target again to rescue a point from deviant United.
Chelsea’s strong end to the season meant they now took the upper hand to finish sixth, but Newcastle could ensure Manchester United did not finish ahead of them as they defeated Erik ten Hag’s side at Old Trafford – continuing their success in the Carabao Cup repeated.
However, a combination of poor defending and missed opportunities saw Howe’s men suffer a 3-2 defeat, leaving the Red Devils in the hunt.
Old Trafford allowed Kobbie Mainoo to open the scoring, but Newcastle hit back through Anthony Gordon, who was earlier denied a penalty after VAR strangely missed a clear foul.
A slower defense gave Amad Diallo the chance to fire into the second, before Rasmus Hojlund added a third as Newcastle pushed forward.
Lewis Hall’s late strike was only a consolation, so the Magpies went to Brentford knowing they had to win to guarantee seventh place – with sixth place only open if Chelsea lost to Bournemouth.
Pochettino’s men picked up another three points against the Cherries, but fortunately Newcastle were able to get the job done at the Gtech Community Stadium. A first-half blitz from Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak sank the Bees, with Bruno Guimaraes assured of victory after Brentford pulled two back.
The match saw the return of Nick Pope and Joelinton to the squad, and so United headed to Australia with a seventh-place finish under their belt and a big summer ahead.