Daniel Wales reveals how Manchester City’s recent win has helped Newcastle.
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00:00So, looking at Newcastle's reaction to Aston Villa's late loss against Manchester City.
00:08Now, all season, the race for Champions League football has been actually incredible.
00:13It's gone this late into the season for the first time in a very long time.
00:16I mean, it's between, you know, five or six teams.
00:19And obviously, you know, England and the Premier League have registered for that extra place.
00:24So, fifth place will be in the Champions League, which is great news for the likes of Nottingham Forest.
00:29Aston Villa and Newcastle.
00:32I mean, obviously, Manchester City have now woken up.
00:35Pep Guardiola's thought, you know, this is a priority.
00:37It's all so close.
00:39We have to get in the Champions League.
00:40They've won three games in a row.
00:42Newcastle, obviously, you know, a flying, unbelievable record, including that EFL Cup final win as well.
00:51But they fell to defeat against Aston Villa, a side who have had to deal with that stress of European football.
00:57And it just seems like Ulay Emre's side hadn't slowed down a late loss at the Etihad for them.
01:03You know, that's not going to hurt them too much.
01:05You'd think they will be back and firing very soon.
01:08They obviously beat Newcastle 4-1 at home.
01:10An incredible result in the race for Champions League football.
01:14It leaves Newcastle, though, with a game in hand over the likes of Chelsea and Nottingham Forest.
01:20Daniel Wales has his thoughts on the matter in terms of this Champions League race.
01:25Dan, where do you see Newcastle ending up?
01:27Where do you see this result being in terms of importance for Newcastle's race for the Champions League?
01:34Because it's certainly a competition they'll want to get back into.
01:37And especially, you know, if you look ahead in the bigger picture,
01:40Isak, the summer, you know, he wants to play Champions League football.
01:45Newcastle's top players certainly want to be in European's elite competition.
01:50Dan, what are your thoughts?
01:53Well, Charles, I think that that result couldn't have gone any better for Newcastle.
01:57Obviously, Newcastle lost 4-1 against Aston Villa on Saturday at Villa Park.
02:02And again, they probably just ran out of steaming in the end.
02:05Their lack of squad depth probably coming back to bite them a little bit.
02:08Whereas Villa, of course, who had played, you know, in midweek as well,
02:12were able to rotate Newcastle with their squad.
02:15As I mentioned, they're probably not able to do that as much.
02:17And in fact, had played about seven or eight games with the same unchanged 11 in a row.
02:22Of course, that had seen them, you know, win a lot of games in a row, including a cup final.
02:26So you can't knock them for that.
02:28But that game against Villa probably came as one game too far.
02:32But Villa losing to Manchester City, sees Newcastle have a chance now
02:37to essentially make that loss to Villa redundant, null and void.
02:41Because, of course, if Newcastle then go and beat Ipswich on Saturday,
02:45the games will become level again in terms of how many games are played.
02:48And Newcastle will once again have a five-point gap to Aston Villa.
02:51I think a lot of Newcastle fans were always of the mind that Manchester City
02:54are probably going to qualify for the Champions League and get in that top five.
02:58And so it was a case of knocking away other teams who are perhaps more of a threat.
03:05And Aston Villa are one of those.
03:07And, of course, Newcastle lost that five-point gap they had when they lost at Villa Park.
03:10But now they have the chance to re-establish that.
03:13With Villa, of course, having played their 34th game of the season a little bit early
03:17due to their FA Cup semi-final involvement this weekend coming.
03:21So Newcastle have an ideal chance against Ipswich Town to make that gap five points again.
03:27And, of course, Chelsea, they also play this weekend.
03:29They've got Everton at home in a game that is probably also quite winnable for Chelsea.
03:34So Newcastle may not have as big of a gap on them come five o'clock on Saturday evening
03:40if they have beaten Ipswich, that is.
03:42But certainly on Aston Villa, they'd have a five-point gap with four games to go.
03:46And that's invaluable for Newcastle with only, as I say, four games left of the season.
03:51And, of course, Newcastle still got to play Chelsea.
03:54And so if Newcastle can beat Ipswich, perhaps get anything in their game against Brighton
03:59away on the road the following Sunday,
04:02they then go into the game at St James' Park against Chelsea,
04:04knowing that I think if they beat Chelsea, that knocks Chelsea out of the race
04:08in terms of Chelsea finishing above Newcastle.
04:10Other teams, perhaps, there still may be a difference.
04:13But for Newcastle, that would be, I think, a really bold and good step for them
04:21in the Champions League and Top 5 race.
04:23But, yes, this is all thanks to, of course, Manchester City beating Aston Villa.
04:27Manchester City probably have the easiest run-in of all the teams involved.
04:31And they're probably going to qualify.
04:33I think that's the way a lot of people see it.
04:34But certainly for Newcastle, it's given them the ideal chance
04:37to once again move five points clear of Aston Villa
04:40and give themselves a fantastic opportunity of finishing
04:43in the Top 5 of the Premier League.