On a torturous Sunday afternoon at St James' Park, Newcastle United lost 1-0 to Everton but still qualified for next season's Champions League thanks to Manchester United's exploits at Old Trafford.
It's a day that will live long in the memory for the strange circumstances in how it all played out, which is helpful because the football played by the Magpies on the pitch was as forgettable as it comes!
Harvey Barnes, Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon, Jacob Murphy, and Dan Burn all had stinkers, while we were indebted to Nick Pope for multiple high-quality stops that kept the scoreline from becoming embarrassing.
Respect is due to David Moyes and Everton, who could easily have had their flip-flops in given their situation of being marooned in 13th place in the table. They were comfortably the better side and deserved the win.
Putting all of that to one side, though, what a bloody season this has been. It's certainly the best in our lifetimes, and Eddie Howe, the players, and all involved at the club deserve enormous credit for what they've delivered. We might not have sealed our Champions League qualification in style, but that honour is earned over a season rather than on the final day.
'Is this the way to Barcelona...?'
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0 Howe
Serena Taylor / Newcastle United
Although this was far from his finest day in the dugout, Eddie Howe has worked miracles this season
The Good
As mentioned in the introduction, Nick Pope was the difference between us losing 1-0 and losing by a much more embarrassing scoreline. There were plenty of question marks around our big number 22 earlier in the season, but he's ended the campaign in strong form, and we hope he stays at the club even if we do dip into the market for the likes of Joan García or James Trafford.
Of the outfield starters, Sandro Tonali was probably the pick of the bunch once again. With Kieran Trippier only fit enough for a place on the bench, the Italian took over set-piece duties and whipped in numerous delicious deliveries that Sven Botman and Co. really should have made more of. In possession, he was probably our best performer, too, while his defensive work was stellar, as ever.
Tino Livramento was similarly strong in every aspect of his performance, with the vast majority of Everton's threat coming from the opposite flank. He's such a good one-on-one defender, and he carried a decent overlap threat here, too, which was useful given how little Anthony Gordon contributed ahead of him. We really hope there's nothing in the Manchester City rumours.
From the bench, both Kieran Trippier and Will Osula made strong impressions. We'd have liked to have seen Trippier starting, if he was able to. He adds such a level of composure to our play, and he made a big chance for Alexander Isak here, while Osula scared the life out of Everton's defence during his cameo and created a massive opportunity for Fabian Schär.
As alluded to further up, Everton surprised us with their professionalism and general play. David Moyes deserves a huge amount of respect for what he's been able to do with a hugely limited squad since his return to Goodison. In terms of their players, we thought Iliman Ndiaye gave Jacob Murphy and Schär nightmares down the right, Beto won battles with all of our centre-backs, and Carlos Alcaraz was a menace.
For the first time this season, the man in the middle was Tony Harrington. He was largely very decent and nothing could be levelled at him for the lack of quality in our performance.
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0 Burn
Serena Taylor / Newcastle United
Dan Burn is very much in the running for Player of the Season, so we can forgive him one poor afternoon
The Bad
Eddie Howe has had a wondrous season leading the club, but he got it all wrong on the final day. The great thing about the Head Coach is that he's sure to learn from it and come back stronger next season, but we'll hopefully not be seeing Jacob Murphy at wing-back, Harvey Barnes on the right, or Dan Burn back at left-back again in the future!
Speaking of Harvey Barnes, he's been tragic since moving to the right to accommodate the equally out-of-sorts Anthony Gordon. The former Leicester man just doesn't have the attributes to beat wingers one-on-one down the outside, while Gordon most certainly does, but seems not to want to play on the right for the benefit of the team. Both have ended the seasons on a real downer and need to do much better next term, if they're still here...
Jacob Murphy gave the ball away really cheaply for Everton's winner and struggled badly with Ndiaye, while Alexander Isak was barely noticeable in the contest but missed a massive chance from a Trippier corner late on. They've both been vital to our success, though, so we can forgive them another poor day!
We're not willing to extend the same courtesy to Joe Willock, though, who we'd drive to his next club ourselves if anyone was daft enough to offer £20M for his services. He might as well not have come off the bench here, and the fact that he wasn't trusted enough to start so we could play our favoured 4-3-3 says it all about his current standing with Howe.
He's been a man mountain this season, but this was one of Dan Burn's poorest showings since his move back to the centre of defence. He lost Alcaraz for a big Everton chance in the first half, but was bailed out by Pope, and the same happened again for Everton's goal. He was punished on that occasion, and his use of the ball in possession was as poor as it has been for ages, while he also struggled with Beto's physicality.
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0 Tonali
Serena Taylor / Newcastle United
Had Sandro Tonali been available to contribute from the first day, we might've gone onto even bigger things
The Average
Fabian Schär veered between being really good and really poor, not for the first time this season. He always struggles against players like Ndiaye, while whenever he had to deal with Beto, he found his strength too much to match. Still, he was one of our only players trying to take the game by the scruff of the neck in the second half, but the late miss from Osula's low cross was a bit of a howler.
Inside of him, Sven Botman was easily the best of the three centre-backs defensively, without reaching his usual world-class heights. He did miss the best chance of the first half, though, when getting the technique for his close-range header all wrong from one of Tonali's excellent corners.
Like Schär, Bruno Guimarães gave everything to try and drag the team over the line, but a lot of what he tried didn't come off. It's hard to be too critical of the captain who's played a massive part in delivering us our first trophy of note in 70 years and led us back to the promised land of the Champions League, but he could do with a good rest this summer after playing so much football over the past few years
Finally, Callum Wilson bid a likely farewell to St James' and put himself about a bit without ever looking likely to score a fairytale goal. He got given a wonderful sendoff by the home fans after the whistle blew, which is well-deserved for his efforts over the years. We're no great fans of his, but we respect what he's done here and wish him all the best.
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0 Breakdown
Serena Taylor / Newcastle United
'This set of lads' have been unreal for a few years, but now is the time to bring in serious reinforcements
The Breakdown
Our front three have let us down badly in this final stretch, but thankfully it didn't matter in the end!
The XI
Nick Pope – 8 ⭐️
Jacob Murphy – 4 (off 70')
Fabian Schär – 6
Sven Botman – 6 (off 63')
Dan Burn – 5
Tino Livramento – 7
Bruno Guimarães – 6
Sandro Tonali – 7
Harvey Barnes – 4 (off 88')
Alexander Isak – 4
Anthony Gordon – 4 (off 46')
The Subs
Joe Willock – 4 (on 46')
Kieran Trippier – 7 (on 63')
Callum Wilson – 6 (on 70')
Will Osula – 7 (on 88')
The Gaffer
Eddie Howe – 2
The Opposition
Everton – 8
The Ref
Tony Harrington – 7
0 Wilson
Serena Taylor / Newcastle United
Callum Wilson got a fitting farewell after the final whistle and will go down in history as one of our best ever 9s
The Farewell
Well, that's it!
Another season is in the books, with this being one of the best in Newcastle United's history. We've won our first trophy of consequence for 70 years and will once again play Champions League football next season.
To have done all of this, having not made a signing of note since Lewis Hall in August 2023, is a truly miraculous achievement for Eddie Howe, his staff, and everyone involved at the club. They're all legends.
Expectations will no doubt rise again ahead of next season, especially if we're going to spend a good wedge this summer, but none of us will forget 2024/25 in a hurry. This is what being a football fan is all about.
We've well and truly got our club back, and the only way is up!
Have a brilliant summer and... HOWAY THE LADS!!!