Newcastle United are well positioned in the battle for Europe after dismantling Sheffield United at St James’ Park on Saturday.
The Blades took an early lead after Anel Ahmedhodzic headed home just four minutes after kickoff.
A bright start turned into a miserable day for the visitors, though, as they were officially relegated thanks to a 5-1 turnover.
Alexander Isak equalised in the first half before Bruno Guimaraes put them ahead after the break.
The Swedish striker grabbed his second of the day from the penalty spot soon, which was followed up by an own goal by Ben Osborn. Substitute Callum Wilson completed Sheffield United‘s misery with Newcastle‘s fifth of the day.
“I’m very happy,” Isak told Premier League Productions after the final whistle. “It was important for us to stay in the race for Europe.
“We got off to quite a bad start and needed one goal against us to wake up. The reaction was very good. The manager gave us a wake-up call at half-time.
“Many of my penalties have been here at home. I tried to stay calm and focus on the moment. I was thinking I want a hat-trick. I haven’t had one.”
The result means Newcastle United have closed the gap on sixth-placed Manchester United to just three points after the Red Devils drew with Burnley at Old Trafford. West Ham and Chelsea are also in the hunt for the European places.
Whichever team finishes sixth in the Premier League table will qualify for the Uefa Europa League, while the side in seventh position will qualify for the Uefa Conference League.
“Europe is still alive and we have to focus on ourselves and we’ll see how it goes,” Isak added.
