Newcastle United defender Dan Burn issued a defiant message ahead of the final game of the Premier League season against Everton.
The Magpies had the chance to secure a top five finish at Arsenal on Sunday but fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat to take things into the final day.
Eddie Howe’s side still sit third in the table as things stand but would drop to fourth if Manchester City get a result at home to AFC Bournemouth in midweek.
Newcastle United Champions League qualification permutations
A win for Newcastle against Everton guarantees Champions League qualification regardless of results elsewhere. Anything less and they will be hoping other teams do them a favour.
But a lesson learned in the weekend just gone is that you can never expect other teams to do you a favour as Aston Villa, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest all won to close the gap.
Now just one point separates Newcastle in third and Forest in seventh heading into the final day.
Newcastle’s goal difference gives them an advantage, meaning they will only have to equal or better two of their rivals’ results on Sunday.
Should Newcastle draw, they would require Manchester United to get a result against Villa or Chelsea and Nottingham Forest draw. If The Magpies lost, they would also need Villa to lose at Old Trafford.
But that’s a situation Howe and his players aren’t even considering at the moment as their full focus on Sunday is getting the job done and winning at St James’ Park to end a memorable season on a high.
Dan Burn issues Newcastle United message ahead of Everton clash
Reflecting on the defeat at Arsenal, Burn - who saw a close-range header saved by Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya in the first half - told the club website: “I think we've got some really good opportunities and the ball just hasn't gone in.
“And for them, they've taken those chances and that's probably been the big difference today. I thought we played pretty well, to be honest.
“It was a good performance, especially first half. Second half, we didn't start as well as we would have liked. Give them an opening and obviously they took the chance.
“But listen, we're still in the same position we were before kick-off. If we win next week at home, we're in the Champions League. So I think if we had been given that at the start of the season, we would have snapped your hand off.”
Looking ahead to Everton, Burn added: “We'll be working hard this week to make sure we can get the job done.
“I think it's tight, but I'd much rather be in our position knowing that we're in it at the moment and we can still be in there at the end of the season.
“We've played together a long time now, a good three years, and we're used to these big games now and we know what it takes and we feel that we can perform at that level. As I said, I thought we played well [at Arsenal], even though we didn't pick up the result, but I know that everyone will be fired up and ready to go next week.
“One more push from everyone, fans, players, the club as a whole. I think it's been an amazing season and this will sort of cap it off.
“We'll get the job done next week.”
Continue Reading