Newcastle United were knocked out of the Champions League and out of Europe after losing to AC Milan on a dramatic final night in Group F.
Fikayo Tomori’s vital intervention stopped Miguel Almiron scoring from a yard out after 20 minutes, but Milan could do nothing to prevent Joelinton from thumping in the opener from the edge of the box after 33 minutes.
Then, in Group F’s other match, Paris Saint-Germain fell behind away to Borussia Dortmund to increase Newcastle’s hopes. But no sooner had Dortmund equalised, Milan levelled the game at St James’ Park, with Christian Pulisic finishing from close range on 59 minutes.
In an incredibly open finish to both games, Milan snatched victory through substitute Samuel Chukwueze, but PSG drew in Germany to join Dortmund in the knockout stages. Milan took the Europa League place and Newcastle finished bottom.
Where does Champions League elimination leave Newcastle?
The ramifications for Newcastle are far-reaching — and, perversely, some may argue not all are so negative, either. Although the majority are.
Financially, this could cost the club at least £15million ($18.9m) in lost revenue, and that is a conservative estimate. That may restrict the budget available to Howe in January, particularly given there are already financial fair play (FFP) constraints.
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With no Europa League action, perhaps avoiding the Thursday-Sunday slog of that competition will be welcomed by many, though Newcastle also need to learn how to compete regularly in continental tournaments.
Instead, their focus shifts to the Premier League, where they are currently seventh, seven points behind the top four. A fifth-placed finish may be enough to qualify for next season’s Champions League, though Newcastle and Manchester United’s early exits threaten the coefficient which determines that.
The Premier League has dropped to third in the rankings with only the top two nations gaining an extra place — at present Germany (three of four teams through in the Champions League) and Italy (also three of four through, with a fourth, Milan, into the Europa League).
Howe will hope that a less hectic fixture schedule allows him to keep a fuller complement of his squad fit, and that would allow them to mount a push to qualify again next season. A trophy must also be a key target, with Newcastle in the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Chelsea next week and then they face Sunderland, their local rivals, in the FA Cup next month.
Was that Joelinton’s best goal for Newcastle?
The Brazilian who was signed as a £40million striker in 2019 — and was a laughing stock as a centre-forward but who has developed into an all-action midfielder — provided possibly his most-important moment in a Newcastle shirt.
There have been 24 other goals for the club across four and a half seasons, including a well-taken first-ever strike in English football in a 1-0 away win at Tottenham Hotspur in 2019, yet this came at a crucial moment in a season-defining fixture.
It was well-worked and extremely well-finished. In the 33rd minute, Anthony Gordon surged through the middle, fed Lewis Miley on the right-hand side of the box and, rather than shoot, the teenager coolly chopped a short pass inside to Joelinton. In the process, Miley became the youngest player in Champions League history to provide an assist for an English club (aged 17 years, 226 days), breaking Theo Walcott’s record set at Arsenal in November 2006.
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After Miley passed, Joelinton took a touch with his right, let the ball bounce and, just as it was rising, lashed a right-footed half-volley into the top left-hand corner of the net. Had Newcastle held on to win the match, then regardless of how long Joelinton remained on Tyneside, he may never have scored a more iconic goal for the club.
How did Newcastle lose control of the game?
It is hard to discern precisely how Newcastle allowed control of this game to slip away because the momentum had not exactly been shifting significantly before Milan’s leveller. There had been a blocked Tijjani Reijnders shot by Fabian Schar moments before Pulisic equalised, but Milan had not massively threatened throughout, Rafael Leao’s pace on the break aside.
But, once Pulisic ghosted into the six-yard box to convert Olivier Giroud’s cute assist in the 59th minute, the game became far too open and, although Newcastle had further chances through Callum Wilson, Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes, Milan looked far more dangerous, too.
Somehow, when Milan snatched possession from Tino Livramento inside the Newcastle half and Leao was played through one on one, the forward rattled the outside of the post when it seemed certain he would score.
But, once Chukwueze came onto the field, he made no mistake and punished Newcastle’s perhaps naive desire to find a winner on the counter after Schar had burst upfield.
What did Newcastle manager Eddie Howe say?
“We gave absolutely everything to the match,” Howe said to TNT. “It was very much end to end (in the second half), both teams you could see were desperate to win. We very much embraced that. We wanted to win the game, we were heading or trying to head for the Champions League so we had to be brave, they had to be brave, it made for a very good game.
“It was probably not our best technical performance and that’s probably the disappointing thing on the night but we did create chances and we’re absolutely devastated not to go through.”
What next for Newcastle?
Saturday, December 16: Fulham (H), Premier League, 3pm GMT, 10am ET
After their Champions League disappointment, Newcastle will welcome an in-form Fulham to St James’ Park. The west London club have scored five goals in each of their last two fixtures, against Nottingham Forest and West Ham.
Newcastle have won the past three meetings of these sides, including a 4-1 victory at Craven Cottage in October 2022.
Recommended reading
- Sandro Tonali: The ban, the fallout, the Newcastle-Milan meal and what’s next
- Newcastle’s injury crisis has fundamentally changed the way they approach games
- Inside the world of football’s high-power, high-price lawyers: ‘I’ve got a KC, who have you got?’
- How do Newcastle navigate four months without Nick Pope?
(Top photo: Getty Images)
