Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are all gunning for a place in next season's Champions League but only two of them will make it. Antonio Conte's side boast an advantage over their north London rivals while the Blues secured their spot this week.
It came after Arsenal fell to a defeat against Newcastle on Monday night, a result which also handed Spurs a big advantage heading into the last day of the season. They now sit two points clear of their arch-rivals with a draw against Norwich on the final day likely to be enough to get the job done.
A Ben White own goal and Bruno Guimaraes strike gave the Magpies a 2-0 victory at St. James's Park, continuing a fine run of form since the turn of the year. After the game, Eddie Howe dubbed the display as their best of the season with plenty of excitement in the North East regarding what can be achieved next term.
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Speaking to BBC Sport, Howe said: "Big turnaround from that game [defeat at Arsenal in his first game in the dugout]. That was a really frustrating day. We left the stadium that day in a difficult moment. We knew we had a massive second half of the season. Luckily the players responded brilliantly to the challenge.
"This was the best performance since my arrival. The motivation was personal pride and performing in front of our supporters and leaving on a good note into the summer. We were very aggressive, good physically. It's not an easy game, Arsenal are top quality. Credit to the players.
"We knew this was something we hadn't achieved - getting something against the top six. In the future we'll have to compete against these teams. We have to have confidence we can win anywhere. This will help us today."
While it may have coincided with the first transfer window of the new owner's reign, Howe's appointment as Newcastle manager has been an immense success. A look at the Premier League table for 2022 shows just how good Newcastle have been since the turn of the year.
Despite having played just 17 games in 2022, only three teams have accumulated more points in the top-flight in the same period. Liverpool sit top of the '2022 league', with Manchester City and Spurs ahead of Newcastle. It could well prove to be a glimpse into the future and Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham will need to be aware of the threat from the North East going forward.
