Skip to main content

Newcastle Back In Champions League For First Time In 20 Years

Eddie Howe hailed Newcastle's "incredible" players as they qualified for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years after a 0-0 draw against relegation-haunted Leicester on Monday. Fifth-placed Liverpool's draw with Aston Villa on Saturday meant Newcastle needed just one point from their last two games to be assured of a Champions League place. Howe's third-placed side achieved their target at the first attempt at a jubilant St James' Park.

Howe and his players embarked on a lengthy lap of honour after the final whistle as they soaked up the acclaim from the Toon Army.

"It's a big relief actually, an amazing night. You always hope and you have to dream. But we didn't feel we were ready for the top four," Howe said.

"After last season's relegation battle, it was whether we could consolidate and become a better team.

"I have to compliment the whole squad because physically it's been a big demand. They've seen the fruits of their own labour."

Advertisement

Newcastle's remarkable rise from relegation candidates to a top four finish in the Premier League in just 18 months is a tribute to Howe's management and financial might of the club's Saudi-backed ownership group.

The Magpies also reached the first domestic final since 1999 this season, losing to Manchester United in the League Cup.

After two decades in Premier League purgatory since Bobby Robson last led Newcastle into the Champions League, the Magpies will believe they can maintain their transformation into trophy contenders now they are back among Europe's heavyweights.

"The lads have been unbelievable for me. I can't praise them enough. Their attitude, their mentality," Howe said.

Advertisement

"I'm just grateful to have the opportunity to manage here. We've had great success and that's satisfying."

Just seven years after their fairytale Premier League title triumph, Leicester are on the verge of being relegated from the top-flight for the 12th time in their history.

That would equal the English record held by Birmingham, sending them back to the Championship for the first time since 2014.

Dean Smith's third from bottom team have won just one of their last 15 league games.

They sit two points behind fourth bottom Everton and will go down if the Toffees win their last game against Bournemouth, regardless of Leicester's result in their final match against West Ham.

"What we have done is taken it to the last game and made Everton need to win. That's what we had to do. I make no apologies for the way we played," Smith said.

- Newcastle seige -
Smith sprang a major surprise as he left James Maddison and Harvey Barnes on the bench in a bid to be "harder to beat", while Newcastle lost Joelinton to an injury suffered in the pre-match warm-up.

They nearly had to do without Joelinton's fellow Brazilian Bruno Guimaraes as well as the midfielder escaped with an early yellow card after a studs-up challenge that smashed into Boubakary Soumare's thigh.

Newcastle held 80 percent of the possession throughout the game, but Leicester sat deep to frustrate them.

Leicester keeper Daniel Iversen almost gifted Newcastle the opening goal, spilling a catch under pressure from Dan Burn.

Callum Wilson seized on the loose ball and shot against the post before his header from the rebound was cleared off the line by Wilfred Ndidi.

Newcastle hit the woodwork again moments later through Miguel Almiron's half-volley from Fabian Schaer's knock down.

Iversen misjudged another cross just before half-time, leaving Wilson with a chance that the striker headed over from close-range.

Smith sent on Maddison at the interval and Iversen partially redeemed himself with a superb save to tip over Alexander Isak's powerful drive from the edge of the area.

Guimaraes missed a sitter when he headed against the post from virtually on the goal-line after Leicester's Wout Faes accidently flicked a corner in his direction.

Leicester nearly won it with their first shot of proceedings when Nick Pope denied Timothy Castagne in stoppage-time, but Newcastle held on to clinch their return to Europe's top table.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Topics mentioned in this article

Adblock test (Why?)



from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/FBVKsIt https://ift.tt/r76TNXU
via IFTTT

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

North Korea Says It Tested New Strategic Cruise Missile

North Korea test-fired a new generation of strategic cruise missile on Wednesday. (Representational) Seoul: North Korea fired several cruise missiles towards the Yellow Sea on Wednesday, Seoul's military said, the latest in a series of tension-raising moves by the nuclear-armed state. Hours later, North Korea appeared to confirm the firing, saying it had carried out its first test of a new generation of strategic cruise missiles it is developing, the Pulhwasal-3-31. Pyongyang has accelerated weapons testing in the new year, including tests of what it called an "underwater nuclear weapon system" and a solid-fuelled hypersonic ballistic missile. "Our military detected several cruise missiles launched by North Korea towards the Yellow Sea at around 7:00 am today," the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. Unlike their ballistic counterparts, the testing of cruise missiles is not banned under current UN sanctions against Pyongyang. Cruise...

18-Year-Old Killed By Friends Over Mobile Game Password In Bengal: Cops

According to cops, accused "friends" attempted to burn the victim after killing him. (Representational) Kolkata: An argument over sharing the password of an online mobile game allegedly led to the murder of a teenage boy by four of his friends in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, a senior police officer said. The body of 18-year-old Papai Das, who had been missing since January 8, was discovered near Nishindra Ghat of the feeder canal in Farakka on Monday, police said. Papai, a class 10 student, was reportedly killed by his four "close" friends after a disagreement over sharing the password for a mobile online game. The accused individuals have been arrested, police added. "These five individuals used to play online games at one of the quarters of the Farakka Barrage. The victim went out on the evening of January 8 and never returned. On January 9, the family lodged a police complaint. "Based on preliminary investigations, we discovered that...

"Jaiswal Has Run Ahead Of Gill": Ex-India Star's Massive T20 WC Verdict

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has suggested that Yashasvi Jaiswal is slightly ahead of Shubman Gill in the pecking order as captain Rohit Sharma's partner at the top in T20Is. Since making his debut last year, Jaiswal has been in stunning form in the shortest format of the game. Gill's form, on the other hand, has dipped since the ODI World Cup last year in India. With the T20 World Cup scheduled to be held later this year, Chopra feels Jaiswal will open the innings with Rohit during the tournament. "It's clear that Yashasvi Jaiswal has run ahead of Shubman Gill. Yashasvi is ahead in the two-horse race, Gill is lagging slightly behind. Gill was played in the first match, dropped in the second, and wasn't played in the third as well," Chopra said on his YouTube channel. Jaiswal helped India beat Afghanistan in the second T20I earlier this week, scoring a quickfire fifty. Considering his recent form across formats, Chopra emphasised that Jaiswal has ...