Newcastle United Photo: Photosport
Newcastle United will rejoin Europe's elite Champions League competition next season after a 20-year absence following a 0-0 draw at home to struggling Leicester City which guaranteed a top-four finish in the Premier League.
It was not quite the glorious home sign-off the fans were expecting as Newcastle dominated from start to finish without finding the net, but they did not really care as the dream of Champions League football came to fruition.
Newcastle had 23 goal attempts to Leicester's one and were denied by the woodwork three times as the visitors dug deep for a point that keeps their survival hopes just about still alive ahead of the final round of games this weekend.
Eddie Howe's Newcastle are in third place with 70 points and one game to play, four ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool who also have one match remaining. Fourth-placed Manchester United have 69 points with two games left.
Leicester moved up one place above Leeds United on goal difference into 18th and must win at home to West Ham United on Sunday and hope 17th-placed Everton fail to beat Bournemouth.
Bizarrely, after doing nothing but defend their penalty area for the entire match, Leicester suddenly looked dangerous in the five minutes of stoppage time and but for a superb save by Nick Pope from Timothy Castagne would have snatched a shock win.
The final whistle was met with huge roars from the St James' Park faithful who can hardly believe the speed at which their club has been transformed since it was bought by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund in October 2021.
Newcastle were without a win and stood 19th in the Premier League standings and heading for relegation after 14 years under their unpopular Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley.
But together with the appointment of Howe and some astute transfer business, Newcastle are back with Europe's big 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 told Sky Sports.
"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."
-Reuters