Cardiff’s 2-0 loss to Liverpool on Sunday means Newcastle United have now officially secured their Premier League status for next season.
The Magpies currently sit in 13th place on 41 points, 10 points above 18th placed Cardiff.
With just three games of the season remaining, it’s now mathematically impossible for Cardiff to catch Newcastle.
Newcastle fans can now celebrate their survival and congratulate Rafa Benitez and his players on their success.
Given that the Toon had managed just three points in their opening ten matches, this season has been nothing short of a miracle.
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The Toon’s opening to the 2018/2019 campaign was the third worst in history, and relegation looked unavoidable.
But Rafa Benitez and his players didn’t just turn their season round, they completely transformed it, taking 38 points from their next 25 games.
Benitez however has won survival at a canter, with four teams still between Newcastle and 18th placed Cardiff.
Even a poor trio of games to see out the season won’t dampen the team’s achievement, which really should be celebrated.
A rare feat
Only 12 sides in Premier League history have ever finished above 17th place after having six points or less in their first 10 matches.
And assuming Newcastle finish above there this season, they will join a very small club.
It’s not exactly a club teams want to be a part of, as no one wants to start a season that badly, but to achieve safety from that position is still incredibly impressive.
There’s even a possibility that Newcastle could achieve the joint-best turnaround in PL history.
The highest ever PL finish from a team with six points or less after 10 matches, is 11th place.
This has been achieved twice by Crystal Palace in 2013/2014 and 2017/2018.
West Ham currently sit in 11th place this season, just two points ahead of Newcastle.
If the players don’t take their foot off the gas, they may well stake a place in the history books.
