Gary Neville believes a fifth-placed finish for Newcastle United is a 'sensible' target for the remainder of the Premier League season. The Sky Sports pundit fears the Magpies' form could dip following their Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester United, while pointing to the recent results of top-four rivals Liverpool and Tottenham.
Eddie Howe's side trip to Wembley ended in heartbreak as their bid to end the club's painful trophy drought ended in a 2-0 defeat to the Red Devils. First-half strikes from Casemiro and Marcus Rashford were enough to ease Manchester United to victory, as Newcastle struggled to fashion openings despite enjoying the lionshare of possession.
It was the second consecutive defeat for Newcastle, who fell to only their second league loss of the campaign so far the previous week against Liverpool. The Magpies have won just once in the top-flight so far in 2023, and now trail fourth-placed Tottenham by four points, albeit with two games in hand.
