That’s me done. Thanks for reading and for your emails and tweets. Until next time! Ta ra!
Read Louise Taylor's match report
Leicester rode their luck, but you have to give Dean Smith and co a lot of credit. There were a lot of raised eyebrows at his team selection – leaving out Barnes and Maddison – but this point at Newcastle could potentially be season-defining. They need to beat West Ham on the final day to stay up, but that is very doable, with the Hammers preparing for a European final on 7 June. \
That point also means that Leicester are now only relying on Everton not beating Bournemouth, not the result of Leeds, who are now 19th on goal difference. Hope that makes sense!
Newcastle players react to making the Champions League
Sean Longstaff:
If you told us two years ago that this was going to happen, I wouldn’t have believed you.
Kieran Trippier:
It means everything. I took a risk when I came here but I believed in the club. They have been through some tough times, but now they reap the rewards.
Full-time: Newcastle 0-0 Leicester
Newcastle have qualified for the Champions League! Leicester rise to 18th, and could yet escape relegation on the final day!
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 36 | 62 | 88 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 37 | 40 | 81 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 37 | 35 | 70 |
| 4 | Man Utd | 36 | 11 | 69 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 37 | 28 | 66 |
| 6 | Brighton | 36 | 20 | 61 |
| 7 | Aston Villa | 37 | 4 | 58 |
| 8 | Tottenham Hotspur | 37 | 4 | 57 |
| 9 | Brentford | 37 | 11 | 56 |
| 10 | Fulham | 37 | 3 | 52 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 37 | -9 | 44 |
| 12 | Chelsea | 36 | -6 | 43 |
| 13 | Wolverhampton | 37 | -22 | 41 |
| 14 | West Ham | 37 | -12 | 40 |
| 15 | AFC Bournemouth | 37 | -33 | 39 |
| 16 | Nottm Forest | 37 | -30 | 37 |
| 17 | Everton | 37 | -24 | 33 |
| 18 | Leicester | 37 | -18 | 31 |
| 19 | Leeds | 37 | -27 | 31 |
| 20 | Southampton | 37 | -37 | 24 |
Updated
90+5 min: Both sides seem content with a draw.
90+4 min: Pope rushes out to collect a dangerous Leicester through ball, with Barnes lurking. Excellent goalkeeping from the England international, who has had virtually nothing to do all night up until this point.
90+2 min: Longstaff catches Maddison and suddenly Leicester have a dangerous free-kick on the right wing. The ball eventually comes into the box … chance for Castagne! Save from Pope! The Belgian hooks a volley towards goal, and Pope dives to his right to parry the ball out. Burn is there to hack the ball away. Leicester’s first attempt on goal, and it was nearly the winner. A really good save!
Updated
90 min: Poor pass from Schar and Tripper is forced to bring Barnes down, to stop a dangerous Leicester counter-attack. Momentum has definitely shifted here! Newcastle now look like they are holding on for a point.
Five minutes added on for injury time.
89 min: Both sides make changes: Newcastle introduce Gordon for Almiron, while Leicester bring on Mendy for Ndidi, who looks like he’s got a knock of some type.
88 min: Leicester thrice win the ball back high up the pitch, and press forward! Tielemens tries to play Barnes in on goal, and only a crucial block from Schar stops Leicester from having a golden chance!
86 min: Leicester are passing the ball. I’m shocked the away end are not chanting ‘olé!’ Whisper it, but Newcastle look … nervous! Suddenly the crowd are wary of their side blowing it.
84 min: Leicester are yet to have a shot. The last time a Premier League team failed to do that in a game was back in 2019, with Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth.
Updated
82 min: Watching replays of that Guimaraes miss. It is absolutely extraordinary.
The chances keep coming for Newcastle! 😰😰 pic.twitter.com/XQq7rxbg02
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 22, 2023
Updated
80 min: Leicester’s time-wasting has started. And who can blame them?
78 min: Another Newcastle change: Murphy is on for Anderson. Almiron goes into the No 10 role, and Murphy goes to the right. You can’t fault Howe for not trying things. But credit to Leicester. They have been lucky, but also been well organised. Which is in stark contrast to recent performances.
76 min: Iversen makes another save and this one is a good one! Longstaff breaks into the box, collects a clever Tripper pass, and fires through a crowd of Leicester bodies. Iversen falls the ball, and uses his feet to shovel the ball away. Another wave of attack is repelled.
74 min: Newcastle have now had 20 attempts on goal, but only three of these have hit the target. Iversen has only really been tested once, from that fierce Isak drive.
72 min: Newcastle hit the woodwork for the third time! From a home corner, Faes so nearly scores (another) own goal, glancing his header towards the back post. Guimaraes is completely free and only has to head the ball into an empty net, but the Brazilian seems scared of heading the post, and half-pulls out of his header. Instead, it is the ball that ricochets off the post, and Leicester hack it away. Still 0-0!
Updated
70 min: A win is obviously preferable, especially for Leicester, but a draw isn’t the worst result for both sides.
Here is the table, as things stand. Leicester up to 18th, Newcastle securing Champions League football.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 36 | 62 | 88 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 37 | 40 | 81 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 37 | 35 | 70 |
| 4 | Man Utd | 36 | 11 | 69 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 37 | 28 | 66 |
| 6 | Brighton | 36 | 20 | 61 |
| 7 | Aston Villa | 37 | 4 | 58 |
| 8 | Tottenham Hotspur | 37 | 4 | 57 |
| 9 | Brentford | 37 | 11 | 56 |
| 10 | Fulham | 37 | 3 | 52 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 37 | -9 | 44 |
| 12 | Chelsea | 36 | -6 | 43 |
| 13 | Wolverhampton | 37 | -22 | 41 |
| 14 | West Ham | 37 | -12 | 40 |
| 15 | AFC Bournemouth | 37 | -33 | 39 |
| 16 | Nottm Forest | 37 | -30 | 37 |
| 17 | Everton | 37 | -24 | 33 |
| 18 | Leicester | 37 | -18 | 31 |
| 19 | Leeds | 37 | -27 | 31 |
| 20 | Southampton | 37 | -37 | 24 |
68 min: Newcastle respond with a change of their own: Wilson off for Saint-Maximin. Isak will move to the centre, and Saint-Maximin will slot in on the left. Wilson was very quiet tonight, after his red-hot run of form.
66 min: Leicester do at least look like they carry a threat with the pace of Barnes and Daka. But will it disrupt Leicester’s defensive shape? I am predicting a late Newcastle winner (1-0).
64 min: Leicester win a corner! Here we go! Barnes drives at Trippier, but the resulting corner doesn’t beat the first Newcastle defender. Ah.
63 min: Here come the changes: Barnes and Daka on, Evans and Vardy off. A change in shape then, Leicester are going to four at the back.
62 min: Twice Isak is denied: Souttar bravely dives in front to block the Swede’s shot, and then Isak gets to the byline but is crowded out by a hoard of defenders in blue.
60 min: Two-thirds of the game gone. Dean Smith will be pleased but it looks as though he is readying changes: Barnes and Daka are getting their kit off.
59 min: Iversen saves to deny Isak! Almiron cuts inside and rolls the ball square to Isak on the edge of the box … his powerful shot is saved by the Leicester keeper, who didn’t have to dive too far to his left, but judged the power of the shot well.
57 min: Leicester’s low block is working. Newcastle are not exactly being incisive. They are lacking a proper No 10, to find the half-spaces between the lines.
54 min: Evans is down, clutching his hamstring or groin. Eeeesssh, not good news for Leicester, who desperately need their veteran defender to continue. It looks as though he’s going to soldier on.
52 min: I’d be surprised to see Isak on the left for much longer. He is such a threat aerially, and somebody like Gordon or Saint-Maximin could do a fine job on the left flank, with Isak more centrally alongside Wilson.
49 min: Once again, it’s attack versus defence as the home side pour forward.
Updated
47 min: Isak carries the ball from the half-way line all the way along the left touchline and wins a Newcastle corner. Leicester players have obviously watched that Isak assist against Everton. They are terrified of him. From the corner, Newcastle have a penalty shout as Almiron’s shot strikes Tielemens on the elbow, but the Belgian’s arm was not away from his body. No penalty.
Peeeeeeep! We’re off for the second half. Leicester have made one change: Maddison is on, Iheanacho off.
Half-time reading:
Half-time: Newcastle 0-0 Leicester
Somehow it’s goalless. Can we say that Dean Smith’s gameplan is working?
45+2 min: “I remember first time I saw Howe’s Bournemouth team live I was amazed to find they were as “professional” as a Big Sam era Bolton team”, emails Will Cook. “Now Howe is at Newcastle with money I look forward to him creating Atlético Newcastle, it’s what the Premier League has been missing since Mourinho’s Chelsea, a baddy team, a Darth Vadar.”
45 min: Three minutes of injury time added on for Leicester to survive. Their xG is currently zero.
44 min: Iverson having a mare! From a Newcastle corner, the Leicester keeper flaps at a Trippier cross but doesn’t get anywhere near it. Wilson is free at the back post and only has to head into an empty net, but he heads over!
42 min: Newcastle hit the post again! How are the home side not ahead?! The ball falls kindly to Almiron in the box, the Paraguayan volleys a bouncing shot against the post. It comes out to Isak on the penalty box, but he can only shoot wide. Both Newcastle players should really have done better! Iverson was motionless for both shots. Get the ball on target and it would surely have been a goal.
Updated
40 min: Wilson hits the post! And Ndidi clears the rebound off the line! Leicester suddenly hanging on here, after some awful goalkeeping from Iversen. The Dane drops the ball at the feet of Wilson, who swivels and can only hit the inside of the post from an acute angle. Evans shovels the ball away with a boot but the ball only finds Wilson’s head, which loops the ball back towards the Leicester net, before Ndidi – standing on his own goalline – finally clears the ball behind.
Updated
38 min: Schar tries his luck from range, but the ball ends closer to the away fans than the goal.
Think Schar would make the Premier League Handsome XI. Great cheekbones and superb salt/pepper ratio.
36 min: Souttar is doing what he was brought in (and bought in) to do. Head the ball away. Wilson hasn’t had any luck so far against the 6ft6in Australian. Yet.
34 min: For the first time in the match, Leicester look comfortable. They can’t get a kick. But they don’t look like they are going to fold like a house of cards.
32 min: “This match is backwards,” emails Justin Kavanagh. “The Magpies are trying to outfox the Foxes by breaking down their deep burrow, while the Foxes need to snatch a valuable point or three from the Magpies’ nest.”
30 min: It’s not been pretty, but Leicester have got through a third of the match without conceding. In fact, Iversen has not had a meaningful save to make in the Leicester goal. They have conceded at least one goal in the first half in each of their last eight games, so getting to half-time with a clean sheet is of huge importance to the away side.
27 min: Isak hobbles off, with Saint-Maximin and Gordon waiting in the wings, but it does look like the No 14 is going to continue, aided by some strapping just below his left knee.
25 min: Isak is booked for a mis-timed challenge on a counter-attacking Castagne. It is actually the Swede that has injured himself, and Newcastle’s physios rush on to tend to the striker.
23 min: Re my preamble, do not underestimate the importance of pettiness in football.
@michaelbutler18 I think you will find there is more to play for than you think. As a Chelsea fan we have nothing but beating Man.U on thursday may ruin their CL bid&we do have history in this regard after giving the title to Leicester in 2016. Spoiling others fun is always fun
— Brendan Large (@brendanlarge) May 22, 2023
21 min: Newcastle have had 81% possession.
Updated
18 min: This won’t shock anyone, but Leicester have no width with Barnes and Tete on the bench. Vardy and Iheanacho are so isolated, even when they have the ball. Nobody is running beyond them, so they are forced to retreat and then pump it long for Burn, Botman and Schar to gobble up.
15 min: Isak on the left, and Almiron on the right and causing Castagne and Thomas some serious problems. Almiron cuts in on that right foot but lifts his shot over the bar.
12 min: Regarding that Guimaraes ‘tackle’, we have an email from Will Morgan.
“That is a horrific challenge. I’m very confused as to why that’s not been upgraded to red. Very, very poor from VAR.”
It would have been a harsh red, but we’ve seen them given. Don’t think it had the intent to be a sending-off though, was more on the clumsy side.
10 min: It’s attack versus defence at the momen, as waves of Newcastle attacks crash against the Leicester defence. The away side are holding firm, for the moment, but you wonder how many Trippier and Almiron crosses this Leicester back four can take without conceding. Leicester have to carry more of a threat on the counter attack.
8 min: Yellow card for Guimaraes! The Newcastle one dangles a leg and pops his studs into Soumare’s knee. It was a tackle with little force, a waft rather than a stamp or a slide, but still very high. Some of Leicester’s bench are calling for a red card, but VAR check it and are happy with a booking. It’s the right call, in my opinion.
6 min: Rather than operating as a front two, Isak is loitering on the left flank. He plays a neat one-two with Anderson, and sprints in behind Castagne before whipping a dangerous low cross, which is well cleared by Thomas.
4 min: Leicester are going Route One! That’s brave against a Newcastle back four that includes Burn, Botman and Schar. How Sunday League of Leicester. Get them turned!
2 min: Burn tries a cross-field ball to Tripper, but bins it out for a Leicester throw-in. The away side will look to feed off scraps tonight, press high with Vardy and Iheanacho, and try to win the game ugly.
Peeeeeeep!
And we’re off! Newcastle in their famous black and white stripes, Leicester in their home blue.
The teams are out, as are the tifos in the stands. We said St James’ Park would be rocking, and it is. Woof!
Updated
Joelinton has been injured in the warm-up!
Newcastle bring in Elliot Anderson for just his second Premier League start. The 20-year-old from Whitley Bay has looked rather special in the few games I have seen.
Nobby Solano is at the ground tonight. I had completely forgotten that the Peruvian also played for Leicester.
Assuming that Newcastle do make the top four, it will be fascinating to see what moves they make in the transfer market. Will Eddie Howe stick with the players that have brought Champions League football back to St James’ Park? Probably not.
This is tonight’s squad:
Newcastle: Pope, Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn, Longstaff, Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, Almiron, Wilson, Isak.
Subs: Dubravka, Dummett, Gordon, Saint-Maximin, Lewis, Targett, Murphy, Anderson, Miley.
It would not be a surprise to see, with a few exceptions (Pope, Trippier, Guimaraes, Botman, Isak) the starting XI become next season’s bench, the bench sold to fund this summer’s signings.
Dean Smith features heavily here.
Tough place to go pic.twitter.com/mhX0vkdb5z
— Bryan’s Gunn (@bryansgunn) May 22, 2023
Dean Smith speaks!
We need to be harder to beat. The last few games we’re trying to win, but watching Newcastle’s last few games, they are so strong from set pieces and we wanted an extra centre back [Souttar]. The lads [Maddison and Barnes] are disappointed but I’d expect them to be. They see the bigger picture here.
What’s interesting from those quotes is that Smith is not going all out for the win. A draw here tonight means Leicester would stay up with win over West Ham on the last day if Everton fail to beat Bournemouth.
Certainly the first part of that equation – Leicester beating West Ham – seems very likely. Despite Leicester’s woeful form, West Ham have a European final to prepare for on 7 June, and it would not be a shock to see David Moyes rest a few key faces. Also, there will be a few West Ham players that will want to avoid injury, with such an important game to come.
A lot of ifs/buts/maybes, there. But I think Leicester going for a draw tonight, rather than trying to go toe-to-toe with Newcastle, is quite smart. Risky, of course, as Everton could easily beat Bournemouth.
What a huge call from Dean Smith to leave his two most talented players on the bench, just the second time this season that neither player has featured for the Foxes. Interestingly, Leicester only win in the last 14 leagues games came against Wolves, when neither Maddison or Barnes played.
And it looks like a change in formation, Leicester lining up in a 3-5-2, or a 5-3-2, depending on how you look at it.
The teams: Maddison and Barnes both on the Leicester bench!
Newcastle: Pope, Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn, Longstaff, Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, Almiron, Wilson, Isak.
Subs: Dubravka, Dummett, Gordon, Saint-Maximin, Lewis, Targett, Murphy, Anderson, Miley.
Leicester: Iversen, Castagne, Faes, Evans, Thomas, Ndidi, Souttar, Soumare, Tielemans, Iheanacho, Vardy.
Subs: Barnes, Maddison, Smithies, Kristiansen, Amartey, Daka, Mendy, Praet, Tete.
Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands)
Preamble
Ignoring the VERY important battle for Europa Conference League qualification (!), only six teams realistically have anything left to play for in the Premier League this season: Newcastle, Manchester United, Liverpool (competing for the top four) along with Everton, Leeds and Leicester (fighting to avoid the drop).
Leicester – deep, deep in the relegation mire – will count themselves rather unlucky to be playing the top-placed of these six teams in their penultimate game. Currently 19th, Leicester will jump out of the bottom three on goal difference with a win tonight but anything else means Everton will remain 17th heading into the final match. With the Merseyside club playing Bournemouth at home (and relegation candidates Leeds given the gift of Spurs at Elland Road on the final day), tonight is an absolutely pivotal game for the 2015-16 champions to get ahead while they still can.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Nottm Forest | 37 | -30 | 37 |
| 17 | Everton | 37 | -24 | 33 |
| 18 | Leeds | 37 | -27 | 31 |
| 19 | Leicester | 36 | -18 | 30 |
| 20 | Southampton | 37 | -37 | 24 |
Leicester’s chances of getting a result at St James’ Park this evening are severely hindered by Newcastle’s own ambitions of qualifying for the Champions League – the Magpies only need one more point to be sure of a top-four finish, which will bring a transformative boost for the club’s coffers and act as a tasty carrot for prospective summer signings.
St James’ Park is going to be absolutely rocking under the lights, and Geordies will feel confident of getting the point they need – only Manchester United have conceded fewer goals at home, and Leicester haven’t won away from home since the 4 February.
That said, the away side are used to beating the odds. It would be very Jamie Vardy for the Leicester striker to go and spoil Newcastle’s party.
Kick-off: 8pm BST
Updated
