A rollercoaster campaign has finally come to an end for Newcastle United although you suspect the 2,350 Geordies in the away end at Turf Moor wished it could continue. Newcastle, after all, signed off with a 2-1 win against Burnley, a result which sent the Clarets down, and only Liverpool, Man City and Spurs have picked up more points in 2022 than the in-form Magpies.
A season that started with Mike Ashley as owner, Steve Bruce as head coach and Jacob Murphy and Matt Ritchie playing as converted wing-backs ended with hope of a bright future for Newcastle under Eddie Howe. Newcastle's new owners will comply with the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules, of course, but the black-and-whites are set to show more ambition in the coming months than they Ashley had in previous summer windows combined.
One of Eddie Howe's priorities is to bring in more firepower, but Callum Wilson offered a timely reminder on Sunday that the club's top scorer will have a big part to play next season. As well as breaking the deadlock from the spot, on 20 minutes, Wilson scored what proved to be a crucial second goal with a well-taken finish on the hour mark.
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Maxwel Cornet did pull one back for Burnley, to set up a nervy finish, but the visitors managed to hang on to finish the season in 11th place and send Burnley down after relegation rivals Leeds beat Brentford. Ending the season with a win was the perfect way to sign off for Newcastle, but it soon dawned on the players that this might be the last time they share a dressing room together as a number of stalwarts could move on this summer.
"It was quite an emotional moment actually," Howe told reporters after being asked what he said after the game. "Just a big thank you from me to them for everything they've given the team, the club. A big thank you to the staff as well because it's been a real team effort.
"The unity and togetherness we've had has been something that has been great to be a part of. I'm privileged to lead the team. There are some incredible characters in the team, in the changing room today and through the season, so it was a very special moment."
Howe will speak to his players face to face and over the phone in the coming days, and the Newcastle boss will step up plans for next season from, literally, today in an effort to try and get ahead of the game. Whatever happens next season, supporters at least know that the endless cycle of struggle is now over.
It could have been so different, of course. Howe had been strapped in to go the distance until the final day not so long ago. Even Sean Longstaff admitted that he previously thought this fixture was going to be a 'pretty much make or break game', an effective relegation play-off.
Yet, remarkably, having been below Burnley in the table at the start of January, even after playing two games more, Newcastle have ended up finishing with their best points total in eight years despite failing to win any of their opening 14 league fixtures. Yes, the mid-season window was a game changer, but without the togetherness and work ethic that Howe and his staff have fostered, the Magpies may well have still needed to get something from this match on Sunday.
Newcastle's safety, unlike Burnley's, had long been assured but Howe's side were not about to ease off. As Callum Wilson put it before the game, 'you never want to relegate a team but, at the end of the day, we've got a job to do'.
Wilson, of course, like Howe and his staff, suffered the heartache of relegation on the final day with Bournemouth in 2020 while some of those in the sold-out away end were at Villa Park in 2009 when Newcastle went down on the last day. You can see then why Howe was not about to do his former side a favour - particularly with a place in the top 10 and prize money still potentially up for grabs. After vowing to play his strongest team, Howe, unsurprisingly, made just two changes: Kieran Trippier came in for his start since February while captain Jamaal Lascelles replaced Fabian Schar in the starting line-up after the latter took a blow to the head against Arsenal on Monday night.
Newcastle produced their best performance of the season against the Gunners last time out but just as that game, and recent fixtures against Liverpool and Man City, showed how far Howe's side had come or, indeed, needed to go, so, too, would this trip to Turf Moor. That may seem a strange statement when Burnley were down near the bottom, and Newcastle had signed the Clarets' talisman, Chris Wood, only a few months previously, but Mike Jackson's side were fighting for their lives and the visitors had to match that intensity.
The last time Newcastle encountered an atmosphere quite as hostile as this, after all, at Goodison Park, back in March, Howe's team fell below their usual standards and suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat as Everton supporters helped their side over the line. Clearly, lessons had to be learned from that night because Newcastle needed to start this match as if their Premier League status depended on the outcome of this game. That's how revved up Burnley were.
Indeed, such was the ferocity of Burnley's start - the hosts were roared on by a loud support - Newcastle appeared content to simply try and take the sting out of the game by calmly moving the ball around and not allowing the Clarets to settle. That tactic appeared to be working before play was paused after Joelinton went down with a worrying looking injury in the ninth minute after the midfielder suffered a bone-deep cut to his foot. Joelinton had his hands over his face as he was stretchered off to the sound of Newcastle fans singing his chant and Burnley supporters classily applauding him off the field.
Howe threw on substitute Jacob Murphy and switched to a 4-2-3-1 and it was Burnley, rather than Newcastle, who were disrupted by the stoppage. Bruno Guimaraes fired an early warning shot from the edge of the area in the 16th minute, which goalkeeper Nick Pope could only parry, and panicked Burnley kicked the ball out for a corner.
Kieran Trippier stepped up to take the set-piece and Pope could only flap at it as defender Nathan Collins stuck an arm up to flick the ball away from Sean Longstaff's head at the back post. VAR intervened and referee Craig Pawson went over to watch a replay of the incident before pointing to the spot in the 20th minute.
It was a long wait for Callum Wilson, who was roundly booed as he stepped up, but the striker coolly dispatched the spot-kick straight down the middle to put Newcastle in front and silence the home fans. The atmosphere inside Turf Moor changed in an instant and only the away end could be heard as they serenaded the Newcastle number nine.
Burnley supporters, in contrast, were stunned and repeatedly erupted from there on in whenever a refereeing decision went against them. That suited Newcastle just fine and Burnley did not even have a shot in anger until the 38th minute when Dwight McNeil fired harmlessly over the bar from long range.
Newcastle soon had a glorious opportunity to double their advantage with what would have been a killer second goal right before half-time as Matt Targett slipped Allan Saint-Maximin in down the left, but the Frenchman's effort was saved by Pope. It was a let-off for Burnley.
The hosts had it all to do after the break and although Jackson introduced Wout Weghorst from the bench, it was Newcastle who looked the likelier scorers as Burnley left gaps by pouring forward. Sure enough, Wilson grabbed that crucial second goal on the hour mark with a smart first-time finish after Saint-Maximin picked the number nine out inside the area following a clinical breakaway.
It was hard to see a way back for Burnley at that point as the home fans fell deathly silent, but Newcastle allowed the Clarets back into the game just nine minutes later. It was just too easy for Collins to cut inside Saint-Maximin and the centre-back's low cross found Cornet. Although Cornet's initial effort was punched by Dubravka, the striker had all the time he needed to follow up on the volley to give Burnley fans hope.
Burnley supporters found their voice and, suddenly, the momentum was with the hosts. Weghorst and Jack Cork went mightily close to levelling late on but, ultimately, Newcastle hung on to relegate the Clarets.
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