Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle

&c

After wins for Aston Villa and Chelsea against Premier League conscientious objectors Spurs and Man U, Newcastle couldn't claim a fourth win of the season against Arsenal that would have guaranteed Champions League football next season and kept them in the running for second place.

In reality, a defeat wasn't any more damaging than a point would have been and the scenario remains unchanged -- beat Everton at home on the final day and we're back dining at the top table.

Similar to the Brighton game, our unbelievable form over the past three months or so has given us the cushion that means this defeat wasn't disastrous, though on the day Arsenal were there for the taking.

An absolutely dominant away performance in the first half should have seen us a goal or two ahead, but we were thwarted by a combination of weak shooting (Bruno and Tino) and fantastic saves by Raya.

Unfortunately we didn't turn up in the second half, Wilson offering nothing up front (eschewing the opportunity to shoot first time when played in) and Gordon having an absolute stinker.

And it was Gordon who turned back towards his own goal on 55 minutes and inexplicably poked the ball to Saka, who worked it inside for Rice to curl home from distance when in acres of space.

This prompted a triple change, including a switch from a back three to a four, Osula looking lively and whipping in some fine balls that we couldn't get on the end of.

Knowing that we needed an unlikely win seemed to lead us to an unhurried final 10 minutes save for two corners in the dying seconds for which Pope came forward.

The second corner ended with a raging Dan Burn and a VAR check, which could have been for a push on Burn or Burn's reaction, I have no idea, but it came to nothing and the ref blew for full time.

The table now has us in third on 66 points, ahead of both Chelsea and Villa on goal difference, with Man City and Forest on 65 (City have two games remaining).

It's worth taking a moment to consider just how tight this actually is.

Whatever happens on the final day, this has been a monumental season, one for the ages, but win against Everton on Sunday and the platform for next season takes on a whole new dimension.

Come on lads.