Ipswich Town's relegation from the Premier League was confirmed as the 10-man Tractor Boys lost 3-0 at Newcastle United, who climbed back into the UEFA Champions League places.
Ben Johnson was sent off after receiving two first-half bookings – the first for simulation – to give Ipswich a gargantuan task, and Newcastle made their numerical advantage count.
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Alexander Isak scored from the penalty spot in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time before Dan Burn and substitute William Osula made sure of the points, with both players scoring headers in the second half.
While Ipswich will join Southampton and Leicester City in the Championship next season, Eddie Howe enjoyed a triumphant return to the St James' Park dugout after recovering from pneumonia.
Newcastle had fallen out of the top five after Chelsea's 1-0 victory over Everton earlier on Saturday, but this win takes them up to third, albeit just two points above sixth-placed Nottingham Forest, who have a game in hand as part of a competitive race for the European spots.
Ipswich remain 18th in the table, with this defeat ending any mathematical chance of catching West Ham United.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
34 | +21 | 62 |
| 4 |
Man City
MCI
|
34 | +23 | 61 |
| 5 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
34 | +19 | 60 |
| 6 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
33 | +14 | 60 |
| 7 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
34 | +5 | 57 |
How the match unfolded
Newcastle had the ball in the net after 23 minutes as Alex Palmer flapped at Dara O'Shea's awkward header and diverted it in, but Michael Salisbury penalised Bruno Guimaraes for a foul on the goalkeeper.
After wasting two decent chances, Isak played a key role in Ipswich going down to 10 men in the 37th minute, as Johnson dragged him down while on a booking.
Ipswich were penned back for the rest of the half, with Luke Woolfenden heading Guimaraes' overhead kick off the line before Sandro Tonali rattled the crossbar from distance.
But Ipswich could not make it to half-time without conceding as Julio Enciso pulled Jacob Murphy back inside the area, with Isak converting after a VAR review saw the penalty awarded.
Harvey Barnes' curler was too high early in the second half, but Newcastle had daylight when Burn powered Kieran Trippier's 56th-minute cross home at the back post.
And Osula's first Premier League goal came from another Trippier delivery 10 minutes from time, as he headed the full-back's corner past a helpless Palmer.
Newcastle re-energised on Howe's return
The St James' Park crowd gave a rapturous reception to Howe ahead of kick-off, as he returned to the Newcastle bench after missing their last three games.
Newcastle had wilted in the second half of their most recent match, a 4-1 loss to fellow Champions League hopefuls Aston Villa, prompting Howe’s assistant Jason Tindall to blame their fatigue levels.
And the hosts looked flat for over half an hour here, but Johnson's sending off gave them the energy boost they craved. Rather than overplay with the extra man, Newcastle upped the tempo considerably and made Ipswich defend a barrage of crosses.
That relentless pressure told when a quickly taken corner led to the penalty incident, and rather than sit on their lead, Newcastle continued to force Ipswich back and got a second through EFL Cup final hero Burn.
Newcastle's power and athleticism was simply too much for the visitors, and Osula rose brilliantly inside a crowded penalty area for their third goal.
With a tough run of fixtures against Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea and Arsenal on the horizon before a final-day match with Everton, Newcastle knew there was no margin for error here.
Goal difference could yet be a factor in the battle for a top-five finish, and Newcastle could even had added a fourth at the death, as Anthony Gordon came off the bench to curl just wide.
Mistakes cost relegated Ipswich
Ipswich entered this game knowing only an improbable victory on Tyneside – coupled with Brighton beating West Ham – would stave off relegation, at least for another week.
With Brighton keeping up their end of the bargain, ultimately beating the Hammers 3-2, Ipswich briefly had hope of prolonging the fight. They started brightly as Jack Clarke's deflected effort trickled wide, and Newcastle did not have a shot on target until the 43rd minute.
But competing in the Premier League means keeping mistakes to a minimum, and some poor decision-making from Johnson and Enciso cost Kieran McKenna's men.
With Ipswich enjoying a decent spell, Johnson threw himself over Burn's outstretched leg and received his first booking, and less than seven minutes later, he was trudging to the changing rooms after making the senseless choice to drag Isak down.
Referee Salisbury initially did not penalise Enciso's pull on Murphy, but the Paraguayan had been caught napping and could have few complaints about the spot-kick being awarded at the monitor.
Ipswich were never likely to fight back from that position, and their defeat means all three relegation places have been confirmed with as many as four games remaining for the first time in Premier League history.
With matches against Everton, Brentford, Leicester City and West Ham remaining, Ipswich will now hope to build some positivity ahead of a potential promotion push in 2025/26.
Club reports
Newcastle report | Ipswich report
What the managers said
Eddie Howe: "It was great to be back, really enjoyed it. Really pleased with the players. They're all tough games and Ipswich set up very well, solid defensively, we had to be patient to break them down. The first goal was massive, right on the stroke of half-time. The Aston Villa game was a disappointing one. We return to winning ways and now have four huge games."
Kieran McKenna: "We're in a much better position than the club has been over previous years. The journey has been a fantastic one which sets us up well. The club is in a really strong position. There's still a fantastic togetherness there. It's a step back now but that's often the way in terms of taking steps forward."
Remaining PL fixtures
Key facts
Newcastle’s win means that they have now attained 62 points after 34 games in this season’s Premier League, the second time in the last two seasons they’ve amassed 60+ points at this stage (also 65 in 2022/23), more often than in their previous 17 top-flight campaigns combined (once, in 2011/12).
Newcastle have dropped just seven points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, fewer than any other side, while only Southampton (two) have gained fewer points from losing positions than Ipswich (three).
Newcastle recorded a 78.0 per cent share of possession in this game, the highest by any team in a Premier League match this season, and Newcastle’s highest in the competition on record (since 2003/04).
Isak’s opening goal was his 22nd in the Premier League this season, the most of any Newcastle player in a top-flight campaign since Alan Shearer also scored 22 in 2003/04.
