Newcastle United handed worrying 5.7% Premier League warning following Aston Villa defeat
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Newcastle United latest news: Newcastle United were beaten 2-0 by Aston Villa at St James’ Park.
Newcastle United’s defeat to Aston Villa ensured that they would end Sunday 9th in the Premier League table, despite entering the day knowing that a win would have lifted them into fourth place. However, strikes from Emi Buendia and Ollie Watkins ensured that it would be Unai Emery’s side that would emerge from Tyneside with all three points in the bag.
A week on from their frustrating goalless draw at Molineux, the Magpies were yet again toothless in front of goal as they were kept at arms length by a Villa side that travelled over 1,500 miles for a game against Fenerbahce on Thursday night. Defeat against Villa was their first at home in the Premier League since the end of September, but their disastrous record on the road this season means they simply cannot afford to drop any points at home if they want to qualify for next season’s Champions League - and certainly not against a side that heading into the campaign they’d have backed to be in and around come May.
Newcastle United’s woes on Sunday were compounded within hours when Manchester United, another one of the clubs in and around them in the race for European qualification, ended Arsenal’s unbeaten home record in the Premier League with a 3-2 win at the Emirates Stadium. Goals from Bryan Mbeumo, Patrick Dorgu and Matheus Cunha, two of whom were courted by Newcastle United during the summer, earned a surprising victory for Michael Carrick’s side in north London to put them in the driving seat for continental football.
OPTA predicted Premier League table
Newcastle United’s defeat to Villa on Sunday, coupled with results elsewhere, means they have now just a 5.72% chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League - according to OPTA. They predict a 7th placed finish for Howe’s side with a four-point gap between themselves and Manchester United - the team predicted to finish 6th in the table.
Beginning on Saturday when they make the trip to Merseyside to face reigning champions Liverpool at Anfield, Newcastle United know they still have to face five of the eight sides that are currently sat above them away from home between now and the end of the season. The three teams above them that they have already played away from home this campaign are Villa, Brentford and Manchester United. They lost two and drew one of those games, scoring just once in that time.
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They are far from down and out in the league and they’re also still competing on three other fronts. However, they have a mountain to climb away at Manchester City in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final and also face a very tricky test away at Villa Park in the FA Cup Fourth Round.
Progress in the Champions League has been secured, but an ominous top-eight suggests that if they can sneak through to the Round of 16, either through a play-off game or with a win against PSG on Wednesday night, then a European giant will be lurking not too far around the corner in that competition.