Newcastle United will rejoin Europe’s elite within the Champions League subsequent season after a 20-year absence following a 0-0 draw at residence to struggling Leicester Metropolis which assured a top-four end within the Premier League on Monday.
It was not fairly the wonderful residence sign-off the followers had been anticipating as Newcastle dominated from begin to end with out discovering the web, however they didn’t actually care because the dream of Champions League soccer got here to fruition.
Newcastle had 23 purpose makes an attempt to Leicester’s one and had been denied by the woodwork 3 times because the guests dug deep for a degree that retains their survival hopes nearly nonetheless alive forward of the ultimate spherical of video games on Sunday.
Eddie Howe’s Newcastle are in third place with 70 factors and one sport to play, 4 forward of fifth-placed Liverpool who even have one match remaining. Fourth-placed Manchester United have 69 factors with two video games left.
Leicester moved up a spot above Leeds United on purpose distinction, however stay 18th and should win towards West Ham United on Sunday and hope Seventeenth-placed Everton fail to beat Bournemouth.
Bizarrely, after doing nothing however defend their penalty space for all the match, Leicester all of the sudden regarded harmful within the 5 minutes of stoppage time and however for an outstanding save by Nick Pope from Timothy Castagne would have snatched a shock win.
The ultimate whistle was met with enormous roars from the St James’ Park trustworthy who may hardly consider the velocity at which their membership has been reworked because it was purchased by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund in October 2021.
Newcastle had been and not using a win and stood nineteenth within the Premier League standings and heading for relegation after 14 years underneath their unpopular Sports activities Direct proprietor Mike Ashley.
However along with the appointment of Howe and a few astute switch enterprise, Newcastle are again with Europe’s massive boys.
“I can’t put it into words to be honest. If you told us two years ago this was going to happen, we wouldn’t have believed you,” midfielder Sean Longstaff advised Sky Sports activities.
“We’ve beaten Juventus here 1-0 [in the Champions League], you see it on old DVDs. To be a part of this, I’m buzzing.”