Although Newcastle United’s season may be finished, their future is still up in the air.
The Magpies’ seventh-place finish in the Premier League came from a final-day victory, but it’s unclear if that will be enough to bring European football back to St. James’ Park.
These are the TOP FIVE talking points from the Gtech Community Stadium victory.
Bruno’s enchanted hat
The greatest was reserved for last.
Although there is no indication that this was his last performance, if it is, it was an incredibly memorable one.
In West London, Bruno Guimaraes notched two goals and assisted two more, bringing his campaign total to seven goals and eight assists. In terms of statistics, this was his greatest black-and-white season.
When
He was at the heart of everything good about United, both in attack and in defence.
Isak 25
Only two players scored more goals than Alexander Isak in the Premier League this season, Cole Palmer and Erling Haaland. His 21 was the best of any Newcastle player since Alan Shearer, so too was his 25 in all competitions.
Even when he’s not at his very best – and he was at Brentford – scoring goals comes so easily to him.
Never mind all of the exit talk, Newcastle need to add support around him, as Callum Wilson has proven a less than able deputy when Isak needed him most.
Hall on the rise
Lewis Hall will not have wanted the season to end.
For the England youth international, things were heating up just as the Premier League was coming to an end.
After a season in which he frequently failed to even see the pitch, many were left to wonder what the player had been signed for. But ever since he ignited the game against West Ham, he has appeared to be a different player.
Look, he’s not quite the final product yet; he still needs to improve his defence, but his offensive ability is exceptional. Hall has given the left side more forward threat and true balance.
It should not take long for his permanent arrival from Chelsea to be made official.
Key £52 million pair Newcastle United cannot function without
They were a miss, as we all knew, but Sunday made it clear. Joelinton and Nick Pope were far more effective for the United XI when they were fit.
Joelinton’s physicality and intensity helped players around him, especially Bruno, to shine, but Pope, who made two superb saves from Ivan Toney and provided a dominating calm to the backline, is the reason Newcastle wins.
Even if both players had played at Old Trafford last week, you have to wonder what Newcastle could have done with them both available for a large portion of 2024.Set completed Since 1977, Newcastle has not been able to place higher in the top division than Manchester United.
They were also the only team that, throughout the Premier League history, Newcastle had never finished above. All of that came to an end on Sunday, if only by goal differential.
All they need now is a kind of final favour from the Red Devils, which would be an FA Cup loss on Saturday. The Magpies will ineligible for the Conference League if they lose.
