Newcastle United, Liverpool and Arsenal drama as underdogs NUFC came through – Never forgotten | OneFootball

Liverpool, Arsenal and Newcastle United are all looking forward to Champions League football next season.

The 2024/25 Premier League champions, runners-up and fifth place all qualifying.

Manchester City and Chelsea making up the quintet.

Much made of the final day of the season drama that saw Man City, Chelsea and Newcastle United finally get over the line.

It was a tense day but ultimately a great one, as Newcastle United fans at St James’ Park found out that despite defeat to Everton, it was actually a very good/great day in the end, as results elsewhere were confirmed. Both Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa also losing, which meant the fifth qualifying position was secured for NUFC.

In the past, we have all heard older Newcastle United fans claiming that such and such previously was better, more dramatic, more tense, more joyous.

Well, 28 years ago I can say for sure, this was the case…

This was the top eight in the Premier League ahead of the 4pm kick-offs on the final day of Sunday 11 May 1997:

72 points Man U GD+30

67 points Liverpool GD+25

65 points Arsenal GD+28

65 points Newcastle United GD+28

58 points Aston Villa GD+12

56 points Chelsea GD+2

56 points Sheffield Wednesday GD-1

53 points Wimbledon GD+2

For the first ever time, as well as the champions the runners-up of the Premier League would also qualify for the Champions League, whilst those finishing third, fourth and fifth would all go into the UEFA Cup.

As you can see above, ahead of the final day of the 1996/97 season, Newcastle United guaranteed a top four finish BUT back then, third and fourth would only give you UEFA Cup and not Champions League.

Plus the odds very much against Newcastle United to improve on that fourth place they held before the final round of matches.

Unlike St James’ Park 28 years and 14 days later, when Newcastle United lost 1-0 at home to Everton on 25 May 2025, United very much took care of their own business back on Sunday 11 May 1997.

Tino Asprilla opened the scoring on 20 minutes, Les Ferdinand on 23 and 26 minutes, then Alan Shearer making it 4-0 after 36 minutes. A superb Robbie Elliott long range finish (am I dreaming when I imagine it was his right foot???) on 77 minutes rounded it off. In those pre-smartphone days though, I can’t remember anybody in the ground knowing for sure what was happening elsewhere.

Instead, it was after the final whistle of our match, that the stadium announcer one by one read out the scores elsewhere….

Aston Villa 1 Southampton 0

Blackburn 2 Leicester 4

Derby 1 Arsenal 3

Everton 1 Chelsea 2

Leeds 1 Middlesbrough 1

Manchester United 2 West Ham United 0

Newcastle United 5 Nottingham Forest 0

Sheffield Wednesday 1 Liverpool 1

Tottenham 1 Coventry 2

Wimbledon 1 Sunderland 0

The final 1996/97 Premier League table:

Quite remarkably, everything had gone Newcastle United’s way.

As well as our 5-0 demolition of Forest, Liverpool had only drawn at Sheff Wed when a win would have meant United powerless to finish above them.

Whilst Arsenal could only improve their goal difference by two, compared to Newcastle’s five goal improvement.

Underdogs Newcastle United coming through and finishing on the same points as Liverpool and Arsenal BUT the best goal difference!

The scenes inside St James’ Park were a sight to behold.

Not only Champions League qualification for Newcastle United fans though.

As the stadium announcer switched his focus to the other end of the table, we found out that Coventry winning, Sunderland losing and Middlesbrough only drawing, meant that we had also seen a perfect set of bonus results in the relegation battle.

Whilst Newcastle United went into the Champions League, the Mackems and Smoggies were relegated.

If you were there inside St James’ Park that day you will never forget it, if you weren’t inside SJP that day then you’ll wish you had been.

Issue 100 – June 1997

An interesting side note on the clubs that finished seventh and eighth that season.

It was a disgrace what was to then happen with the football authorities to allow Wimbledon fans to have their club taken away from them, just like the Americans do with their daft American Football, gifting a club/franchise to another city/region.

Whilst as for Sheffield Wednesday fans, just as shocking what has been allowed to go on there for so many years with various dodgy owners, culminating in the absolute mess that we see today at their club.