Shortly before kick-off Newcastle fans unfurled an enormous banner emblazoned with the message: “Bad times don’t last but legends do.”
Those words were superimposed on giant images of Eddie Howe and his players in recognition of their completion of one of football’s more remarkable transformations. When Howe took charge here 19 months ago, Newcastle were 19th in the Premier League; courtesy of the point collected on Monday night they are now guaranteed a top-four finish.
