Having bounced from the bruising experience of Liverpool steamrollering their way towards multiple honours and Man City getting one eyed over their fourth title tilt in five seasons Newcastle must now confront further naked ambition.
Arsenal, once top of the Christmas tree when Arsene Wenger was Santa Claus, are now hell bent on clinching the Premier League's last Champions League place with all the monetary and glory gains that goes with it.
End of season and nothing to play for? Unfortunately no such matches have awaited United during their wind up of a momentous campaign. Burnley, desperately trying to cling to their top flight status, are last in line when everything could be on the line.
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Nasty neighbours and party poopers Tottenham took apart Arsenal in the North London derby to ensure that the Gunners will come to Newcastle knowing only victory will suffice instead of being on the beach with their Champions League qualification confirmed.
Spurs are real spoilers. Having prevented Liverpool from gaining three points at Anfield and therefore almost guaranteeing Man City the title they turned over Arsenal to significantly reduce their chances of ending a five year exile from the Champions League. To think that between 1998–99 and 2016–17 the Gunners participated in 19 successive appearances in Europe's top competition, a record only surpassed by Real Madrid.
That was when Wenger famously called a top four finish the equivalent of winning a trophy. I bet Mikel Arteta agrees with his old boss now!
United know they have it all to do to bow out at SJP on a high but that has to be their target without question. Everyone deserves it - ever loyal flag-waving fans, players new and old who have United to breathe fresh life into a previously battered club, a bright young manager passionately making his way, and fresh owners who wear ambition with pride.
I was at the Emirates back at the end of November for the first facing of Gunner ammunition. It was far from a warming experience - though Howe was on the touchline this was the 13th match of United's run of 14 without a solitary PL victory and I had to endure an extra night in London because of Storm Arwen blowing all to smithereens back home.
Newcastle lost 2-0 of course to second-half goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli. Staying up seemed an awful long way away then yet before we arrived at the return safety was comfortably secured.
However, anybody who thinks that the pressure will get to Arsenal and somehow they will be blown away by an electric atmosphere had better have a reality check. Any victory, a draw even, will be hard earned but it is more than a possibility.
Arsenal are not Man City or Liverpool but equally they are better than a host of others like Leicester, Wolves, Crystal Palace etc. They will live or die by the result Monday night. United will not but there is absolutely no way they want to go out on four successive defeats or deserve to after the Herculean efforts of 2022.
We have just had the class gap is to the very summit of Everest confirmed. This will tell us how big the divide is from survivors to the upper pastures of the PL.
I have never been one for a lap of honour come the season's end when those concerned have merely existed rather than won anything. It became more realistic when it was renamed a lap of appreciation...from players to fans for their support.
However, whatever the result those in black and white armour have earned our applause for fending off dire consequences never before overcome when a side has failed to win one of the opening 14 league games. That is well and truly history making and is worthy of a round of applause.
It is also why I believe Eddie Howe should be crowned Manager of the Year, something I advocated long before his nomination and was backed by a man of vast Newcastle pedigree, England international and Entertainer Steve Howey, when I spoke to him over the weekend.
Oh I know Jurgen Klopp is favourite to get it with Pep a strong contender and they are truly the cream of their profession but what they have done at Liverpool and Man City has been a few seasons in the making. What Howe has achieved at Newcastle has been a few weeks in transition.
I can vividly recall sitting in the Press box next to SuperMac when Cambridge, a team from the third tier, knocked United out of the FA Cup. We were second bottom of the league and that was as recently as January.
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