Newcastle secured Champions League football as they produced one of the goalless football scores of the midweek action in the Premier League. With a commanding performance, Eddie Howe’s team secured their place in the top four, leaving the visitors, who were two points from relegation, with the task of defeating West Ham at home on the final day of the season, while also hoping Bournemouth pick up something at Everton and Leeds don’t overturn a nine-goal swing by defeating Tottenham. Newcastle had complete control of the game but was frustrated by Leicester’s defense and the woodwork, which they rattled three times on their way to 23 shots and an xG of 2.05, although they were fortunate Bruno Guimaraes wasn’t sent off right away for an unwarranted challenge.
Only one shot was made by Leicester, and it came in the 92nd minute when Nick Pope made a great stop off a volley from Timothy Castagne to prevent them from securing a critical smash-and-grab victory and put their survival prospects out of their hands. In an effort to help Leicester retain their first clean sheet in 22 league games, Dean Smith decided to switch Leicester’s formation to play with three at the back, notably leaving out James Maddison and Harvey Barnes. While Leicester scarcely left their own half and had just one touch inside the opponent’s penalty area, Newcastle had 14 shots in the opening frame.
However, the visitors believed Guimaraes should have been sent in the ninth minute after the studs of the midfielder’s right foot touched the knee of Boubakary Soumare. A yellow card was then displayed, and the video assistant ref determined that no further action was required. The finest opportunities for Newcastle came late in the opening period when Callum Wilson’s shot hit the post and Wilfred Ndidi cleared the ball off the line with his header when it rebounded. After Wilson saw another headed attempt miss the target with the goal gaping at a corner, Miguel Almiron volleyed against the woodwork two minutes later.
At the interval, Smith switched to Maddison, but the relentless Newcastle raids persisted, with Iversen saving Isak’s initial shot from the edge of the box. When Patson Daka and Harvey Barnes replaced Jonny Evans and Jamie Vardy, Leicester managed to hold on for more than an hour, although it was ineffective in stopping the hosts. Before Iversen used his legs to stop Sean Longstaff, Guimaraes was able to strike a post from a yard away at a corner. Late in the game, Leicester began to link together a few passes until Castagne connected with Maddison’s cross, necessitating a diving stop from Pope.
“It’s a huge relief, and it’s a fantastic night to watch the fans’ reactions. You should always have dreams and hope, but after facing relegation, we didn’t think we were prepared for it. Consolidation and improving as a team were the goals. and avoid even considering being demoted. The boys have been incredible; their mindset, attitude,” Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said. “We can only choose from a narrow pool of players. We have to choose our candidates carefully, and we have. Our most difficult transfer window will be this one. Because of the size, it’s probably more well-known throughout the nation, but keeping them up was my first task at Bournemouth, and it meant a lot to me and the club. Media-scale-wise, this is on a new level, and I’m just so happy to be in charge here.”
“We had to continue the game, therefore I don’t apologize for the manner we played. We couldn’t let Newcastle, with their height and delivery, steamroll some of these teams, as they have done. They had opportunities, but they did so against most of the teams in this place. Our discipline was strong. Few people, in my opinion, would have predicted that we would arrive here and succeed,” Leicester manager Dean Smith said. “That affects the athletes mentally greatly. In my seven games, it was my first halftime clean sheet. We had to do it, that was crucial. You cannot attack them openly here. At times, it was difficult to watch, but you could see that the guys were vying for it. Right before the end, we had a terrific opportunity. He got caught on the thigh after a fairly weak challenge. What VAR sees there is unclear to me.”
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