Could Newcastle finish… second?
Newcastle United's dominant 4-1 victory against Manchester United at St James' Park on Sunday made it four successive Premier League wins and lifted them to fourth place.
Eddie Howe's side still have a game in hand over their Champions League-chasing rivals — on Wednesday night, they host Crystal Palace.
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A win would see Newcastle leapfrog Nottingham Forest into third and close the gap to four points on second-placed Arsenal, who they play in the penultimate game of the season.
In the latest episode of The Totally Football Show, James Richardson was joined by Daniel Storey, Duncan Alexander, and Matt Davies-Adams to discuss whether Newcastle could finish as runners-up in the Premier League.
A partial transcript has been edited for clarity and length. The full episode is available on 'The Totally Football Show' feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
James Richardson: Sandro Tonali got Newcastle on their way to a 4-1 thumping of a hapless-looking Manchester United. That first goal was pretty special, wasn't it?
Daniel Storey: Newcastle were brilliant all game, and they're really in the mood. Since winning the Carabao Cup final, they have looked nailed on for at least a top-five finish. They are the best team in the country at the moment.
When they're at home, and when everything feels high energy, they're fantastic. They've not been great in every game since beating Liverpool at Wembley — especially in the 2-1 win against Brentford — but they are just way too good when they click in the final third.
Their midfield embarrassed Manchester United. The quality gap between Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton and Sandro Tonali and what Manchester United had on the pitch was night and day. United got back into it, but there was only ever one team that was going to win the game. They're in such a good place and I think they'll finish third this season — and they deserve it.
James: Good lord, ahead of Forest, do you think, Daniel?
Daniel: Yeah, ahead of everyone other than Arsenal, and even that depends on Arsenal's form as well…
Duncan Alexander: They could even overtake Arsenal. If Arsenal progress in the Champions League, they will have their eyes on that, and we saw what happened on Saturday with Arsenal (1-1 draw against Brentford at home). People forget that a football season is a very long time. You see it all over the country. Look at Walsall, they were brilliant for the first half of the year and have really fallen away.
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Newcastle had spells where they weren't very good but they are the form team in the country. It won't last forever, but it's come at a really good time. They also have depth now. Look at Harvey Barnes today — Anthony Gordon was out injured, but it now feels like they can carry some injuries and still do well.
James: Has Harvey Barnes been the forgotten man of the Newcastle squad?
Matt Davies-Adams: Yeah, he has. It's difficult to supplant Gordon when he's fit. Plus, Barnes had his own injury issues as well. But Newcastle a bit of depth about them now, which is what you would expect. They have also been somewhat limited in the transfer market lately.
It was big for Barnes, he hadn't completed 90 minutes since September, and now he's done it in back-to-back games. You'd imagine Gordon would probably come in before not too long, maybe as early as Wednesday night against Palace. But it's a nice headache for those selecting the team to have.
You can listen to full episodes of The Totally Football Show free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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