Author – Amrit Santlani
Newcastle United booked their place in the Champions League group stage for the first time since 2003 after a 0-0 draw with relegation-threatened Leicester City on the penultimate matchday of the Premier League season. Newcastle hit the post three times, had 23 shots (4 of which were on target), but even with that advantage they could still lose. In the 93rd minute, Castagne hit Leicester’s only shot of the game – only Pop’s reaction saved Newcastle.
Before the final matchday: Southampton are definitely out (24 points). Two more teams out of three (Everton, Leicester and Leeds) will keep him company.
Only one of this trio can escape:
– Everton (33 points) host Bournemouth
– Leicester City (31 points) host West Ham
– Leeds (31 points) host Tottenham
Eddie Howe’s men needed just one point to secure their place in the Champions League and they managed to snatch a point after drawing at St James’ Park on Monday night.
Although Newcastle are a point ahead of fourth-placed Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag’s men also have a game in hand and could move into third place if they beat Chelsea later this week.
The Foxes visited Newcastle in search of a dramatic win to stay alive in the top flight, but were put at an early disadvantage. Dean Smith’s side survived an early onslaught from the home side when Callum Wilson was denied by the post and later his attempted header was cleared off the line.
Miguel Almiron hit the post in a subsequent Newcastle attack as Howe’s side failed to open the scoring despite dominating the ball. In the second half, Alexander Isak’s shot on goal was well saved by Daniel Iversen, before Howe’s side hit the post again from a corner. At the other end, Leicester had a glorious chance to steal all three points, but Timothy Castagne’s shot was stopped by a first-time save from Nick Pope, and the two teams shared the scoreline in regulation time.
Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimarães impressed against Newcastle and played the full 90 minutes, but also received a yellow card.
Reflecting on his team’s Champions League triumph, Howe said that they didn’t start the season with hopes that they would finish in the top four.
“(Our expectation) was certainly not to finish in the top four,” the Newcastle manager told Sky Sports. “I think you always have hope, you always believe and you have to dream. But we didn’t feel we were ready for that. After last season’s battle against relegation, the question was whether we could consolidate and become a better team“, added Howe.
“Not having that flirtation with relegation and trying our luck has been incredible,” he said.