Premier League analysis: Four highs and lows from Newcastle United’s season so far
Going into their final game of the season at home against Everton, Eddie Howe’s Newcastle will hope to end the season on a high.
Sports News Blitz writer Matt Mckenry looks back at Newcastle’s season focusing on four highs and four lows from Howe’s side.
League Cup final
Newcastle’s first trophy in 70 years. Howe went to London with the objective of bringing home silverware to Newcastle and he did just that.
Setting up his team in order to challenge Liverpool and push them all the way, goals from Alexander Isak and Dan Burn did just that.
The match at Wembley was one that had so much importance behind it for the fans.
After the failure against Manchester United two seasons prior, Newcastle knew what needed to be done as they would have used that experience of loss in order to learn from mistakes.
The trophy parade
The celebrations following on from the Carabao Cup win were something truly special.
A parade that ran from St James’ Park all the way to the Town Moor, the team wished to share a special moment with the fans and people of the city.
Across the city and town moor it is estimated that 300,000 supporters were out to show their support on a historic day. Buildings were adorned with flags and flares were let off.
It truly was a special day that the fans of the football club will never forget as Eddie Howe finally brought a trophy home.
Newcastle 4-3 Nottingham Forest
A massive game in terms of challenging for European places, Newcastle beating Forest was a key match in pushing into the top five.
High-flying Nottingham Forest were this season’s surprise entry at the top of the table.
Nuno’s men have been fantastic all season and heading into the final game of the season they have a good chance of making Champions League football.
Newcastle, wanting to return to Europe’s elite competition, knew beating a rival like Forest would go a long way.
In doing so that went a long way to damaging their rival’s ambitions despite not making it easy for themselves.
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Newcastle 2-0 Chelsea
Another key result in pushing Howe’s side further into the UEFA Champions League spots.
Newcastle knew that a result against Chelsea would open a gap on the London side keeping the Magpies in the top five.
Goals from Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali and a first-half red card from Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson mean that Newcastle had control of the game.
A second-half flurry from Chelsea proved a challenge for the Magpies, however, they held on keeping all three points for themselves.
Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle
A game that would've seen Newcastle leapfrog Arsenal into second place with one game to go.
The big team news of the day was Alexander Isak missing out due to a minor groin problem whilst Arsenal’s Declan Rice returned after missing the trip to Liverpool the week prior.
Despite being the better of the two teams in the first half, Newcastle were unable to convert the chances created.
David Raya proved to be immense once more for the Gunners pushing himself level on clean sheets in the race for the golden glove.
A moment of magic from Rice proved to be the difference maker on the day as he scored from range securing UCL football for Arsenal leaving Newcastle with a job to do on the final day.
Aston Villa 4-1 Newcastle
In another key battle in the race for the Champions League, Unai Emery will be looking for his side to compete in Europe’s elite for another year.
Aston Villa proved to be dominant against Howe’s team outplaying their opposition and most importantly putting pressure on them in their race for Champions League football.
Villa’s pressing and strength in midfield proved to catch the Magpies off guard giving no answer to their drive on the day.
Surely a big result that would affect both team’s ambitions going forward.
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FA Cup exit
With the Carabao Cup final in sight, Newcastle would have hoped they could go to Wembley more than just the one time.
Welcoming Brighton to St James’ Park, Howe would’ve hoped that his team could proceed to the next round however it was not to be.
Wasted chances, red cards and disallowed goals all filled the game making it a spectacle for the neutral.
However, it was Brighton who stayed the strongest when Danny Welbeck scored the winning goal deep into extra time.
Newcastle were dumped out of the cup leaving the hunt for an FA Cup for another year.
Eddie Howe’s illness
A moment that united the team more than ever was during a tough period when manager Eddie Howe was admitted to hospital after being diagnosed with Pneumonia.
A very serious time that transcended football and leant into real life, Howe has been integral in revolutionising Newcastle these past few years, so to lose him for a few games was a big worry.
Having received great treatment and care in his recovery, he managed to return to the dugout promptly missing a few matches with assistant Jason Tindall deputising.
Overall, it was a very sad time for anyone associated with Newcastle, however, it was a time of pure unification to do the best possible in his name.
Looking back, it has been a season of pure emotions for Newcastle, with many ups and many downs.
The Magpies have the chance to return to the Champions League next year should they grab a result against Everton on the final day.
Emotions will be high as the club aims to leave 2024/25 on a big high, giving the fans even more to celebrate.
