The Blues needed to drop points against Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge to make Sunday interesting for Newcastle and Eddie Howe
Newcastle United's slim hopes of qualifying for Europe in the last week of the season have been extinguished by Chelsea.
Goals from Enzo Fernandez and Andrey Santos were enough to see off Spurs in the London derby on Tuesday night with Richarlison's goal not enough to spark a comeback. It means the dream of European football for Newcastle is officially over with one game to spare.
The Blues - lifted by the arrival of Xabi Alonso as new manager - picked up a home victory against Tottenham Hotspur to climb into eighth place in the Premier League table. And that means that United will not be able to edge their way into the last European place and participate in the Europa Conference League next season, even if they beat Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday night.
Chelsea now sit on 52 points leaving them in the driving seat for Sunday's trip to Sunderland this weekend. With Brentford facing Liverpool away, the Bees could still push their way into contention for the Conference League too, but they may need to win at Anfield.
For the Black Cats and Chelsea, Sunday could be a straight shoot out for Europe but as far as Newcastle are concerned the slight hopes they had are over before a ball is kicked at Fulham.
Speaking on playing for pride, Howe said after the 3-1 win over West Ham: "It would have been easy for people to look at this and say Newcastle had nothing to play for - but we have a duty to be at our very best and I'm pleased with how we went about it.
"We have a lot of players who play with pride and would never want to let the club down."
Newcastle could still finish in the top 10 if they beat the Cottagers in the capital, and a victory could also see them finish above rivals Sunderland if they did blow it against Chelsea. Howe is also trying to avoid his lowest finish as boss after ending the 2021/22 campaign in 11th spot.
Tottenham's failure to win means they face a nervous clash against Everton on the final day as they can still be caught by West Ham. The Hammers face a home clash against Leeds United at the London Stadium.
Failure to qualify for Europe is a major dent for Newcastle, especially after they threw away 27 points from winning positions this term. With extra European places up for grabs, the campaign will be looked at as a disappointment by many fans who backed them up and down the country and on the Continent this season.
On a night of thrills and spills, Bournemouth's 2-1 win over Man City handed Arsenal the title and guaranteed the Cherries a place in Europe.
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