Newcastle secure Champions League football after stalemate with Leicester
SAFE HANDS: Newcastle United's Fabian Schar (left) leaps over goalkeeper Nick Pope as he makes a save during the Premier League match at St. James' Park. Pic: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire
You could almost hear the Champions League music echoing through St James' Park as Newcastle booked their place back at the top table of European football. The nearest Leicester City will get to the continent next season will probably be the Championship trip to Southampton, just about in sight of the English Channel.
They're not down yet, but in contrast to a new campaign of adventure Eddie Howe's side can anticipate, things look decidedly bleak for the Foxes who in the absence of a miraculous escape, are set for Preston, not Paris, Birmingham, not Barca and Rotherham, not Real.
It's quite a role reversal from their only season in the Champions League six years ago, during which time the Magpies found themselves in the second tier.
Now they're set to stir memories of humbling Barcelona and the Houdini act in Rotterdam's de Kuip with the chance to etch new exploits into club folklore thanks to their super-sized Saudi trust fund.
With a left-field team selection that saw James Maddison kicking his heels until the onset of the second half and Harvey Barnes warming the bench for even longer, Dean Smith was always going to emerge as either a tactical genius or a tinkering ignoramus.
In the end, a case could be made for both arguments as Leicester hung on for a point after Newcastle settled for the share of the spoils which was sufficient to clinch a top four finish.
It could yet prove to be priceless at the other end of the table for Smith's side, and but for a stunning stoppage-time save from Nick Pope to keep out a full-blooded Timothy Castagne volley, City could have been reflecting on a famous victory and what would have been a tactical triumph for their caretaker boss.
As it is, a season of ineptitude can still find salvation when it reaches its climax this weekend. A team that has seemingly forgotten how to win must beat West Ham and trust Everton fail to beat Bournemouth after a result which helped to prise another nail from the Toffees' relegation coffin. Otherwise Leicester will match Birmingham City's unwanted record of 12 relegations from the top flight.
How costly the two points spurned courtesy of Maddison's penalty miss in the draw with Everton earlier this month with the Foxes 2-1 up will be glaringly apparent at around 6.30pm on Sunday.
Punch-drunk and gasping for breath, Leicester and their new-look back three made it to the break on level terms, although quite how it was difficult to discern as Newcastle hit the frame of the goal twice in quick succession as the first-half drew to a close.
Callum Wilson's follow-up was cleared off the line by Wilfred Ndidi when Daniel Iversen spilled the ball onto a post after failing to deal with a cross from Elliot Anderson, the young midfielder who was a late replacement for Joelinton after the Brazilian aggravated a groin problem in the warm-up.
The ball had hardly been out of the Leicester area before Miguel Almiron's venomous half-volley from a Fabian Schar knock-down came back off the upright, Alex Isak firing the rebound over.
With the visitors desperate to hear the half-time whistle, Iversen's handling again let him down to present Wilson with a close-range opportunity the forward really should have taken.
It could have been a rather different story had the officials inexplicably not reviewed Bruno Guimaraes' early knee-high challenge on Boubakary Soumare.
The Brazilian looked extremely fortunate to escape a red card for what was at best a reckless attempt to reach the ball which got nowhere near. When you're in the desperate position Leicester find themselves in, they're the kind of decision which simply don't go your way.
Barring a couple of half chances the labouring Jamie Vardy would have got a lot nearer to five years ago, the contest followed the same ominous narrative for the visitors after the break.
Iversen regained his composure after his chastening end to the first half by tipping over brilliantly from Isak's stinging effort before keeping out Sean Longstaff's low snap-shot with his legs.
The post came to Leicester's rescue again with 20 minutes left when Guimaraes saw his header from no more than a yard out come back off the frame as chaos ensued at a corner.
For Newcastle, it didn't really matter. They had been under-par all night, but it was still very much job done and they travel to Chelsea on the final day safe in the knowledge that they will finish either third or fourth. Had you offered them such an outcome at the start of the season, you'd have been in hand snapping-off territory.
Pope 8; Trippier 7, Schar 7, Botman 7, Burn 7; Longstaff 7, Guimaraes 6, Anderson 7 (Murphy 78, 6); Almiron 7 (Gordon 88, 5), Wilson 6 (St Maximin 68, 6), Isak 7.
Iversen 8; Souttar 8, Evans 7 (Daka 63, 6), Faes 7; Castagne 7, Ndidi 7 (Mendy 89, 5), Tielemans 7, Soumare 7; Thomas 7; Iheanacho 5 (Maddison 46, 6), Vardy 3 (Barnes 63, 6).
Andre Marriner 6.
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