Newcastle deal heavy blow to Arsenal’s Champions League hopes

NEWCASTLE: “Something special is stirring at St. James’ Park. Strap yourselves in. Howay the Lads.”

The message was simple but stirring, beautiful while charged with steely intent.

This was a club tweet to follow a statement performance that will have alarm bells ringing from London to Liverpool and Manchester and back.

Newcastle United weren’t meant to stay up this season. They weren’t meant to dazzle and delight. At Christmas the Championship was beckoning. And while the depths of winter despair thaw into spring then summer, pain has been replaced with hope and joy. The sleeping giant of English football is stretching its legs and readying itself for battle.

Having failed to lay a glove on Liverpool then Manchester City, Newcastle United, at the 14th attempt this campaign, beat a side in the Premier League top seven.

And while Eddie Howe’s United look light years away from the top two, they were head and shoulders above shell-shocked Arsenal, who looked like a rabbit in the headlines at an electrically charged St. James’ Park.

Champions League contenders? On this evidence, and playing at this level, it will be Newcastle featuring heavily in the conversation next season, not just Arsenal.

“Brilliant way for us to sign off here,” said Howe.

“I was very, very pleased with our performance, it was probably our best performance by some distance since I’ve been at the football club. The most pleasing thing was we were dominant in the first-half, but I’ve seen that so many times where the dominant team then drop off in terms of energy levels and intensity levels and the game totally changes.

“I’ve got to give my players big credit that we didn’t. We were probably better in the second-half. Full credit to the group