Newcastle United fans cheered loudly in the Strawberry just two weeks ago when Tottenham thought they'd secured a dramatic 3-3 draw at Anfield. The roars were as loud as they had been for each of the Toon goals in the 3-1 win over Southampton earlier that April afternoon. And there was good reason too, for has things stayed the same it would have meant a 10-point gap between Newcastle and the Reds.
Of course, things then changed as Diogo Jota popped up with a winner to clinch in it 4-3 and the gap was down to a mere nine points with five games to go. The fact Liverpool have chased that advantage down to just a solitary point going into Newcastle's crunch clash with Brighton & Hove Albion is a remarkable feat in itself for Jurgen Klopp and co.
The most damning statistic of all is that Newcastle have held a Champions League place for 63% of the season overall. In comparison, Liverpool have never been in the Champions League places all season - fifth is their highest position.
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So even after seven victories on the spin, Liverpool may still have left it too late to nip in and grab a Champions League place. Klopp has forced an opening because the Reds scraped a 1-0 win over Brentford the day before Newcastle lost to Arsenal, then they rolled Leicester over on Monday night after United could only draw at Leeds.
However, things are still in Newcastle's hands, win tonight against Brighton and the gap is back to four points. The pressure would then be on Liverpool to beat Aston Villa.
Should Unai Emery's side turn up and do the business at Anfield, then Newcastle would qualify for the Champions League without kicking a ball over the weekend ahead of Leicester's arrival on Monday. But even if Liverpool can make it eight wins on the spin, United know that victory tonight and then another three points against the Foxes ends any prospect of what would be an unbearable final day at Chelsea.
Eddie Howe was cool in the build-up to the game against the Seagulls, he said: "I’m well aware of the importance of every game now. "We’ve got three left, there’s huge competition for the top four and, deep down, I always thought there would be because the quality of the teams we’re playing and competing against and also the size of the achievement.
"With that, it’s never going to be easy. "We’re prepared for that as staff and I think the players are. This is going to be the hardest bit and we’re going to need everybody to pull together to try and achieve it."
Newcastle's togetherness and unity has carried them this far. They aren't in the top three because they've spent money, they are there on merit and meticulous work on the training ground by Howe and his staff.
Have they punched above their weight at times? Probably yes.
But there have also been moments where every second of training ground work has been there for all to see. The 6-1 hammering of Spurs, the 2-0 win over Man United, the vital point at Arsenal and nights like Nottingham Forest away when Newcastle refused to take no for an answer.
All of it adds up and has put Newcastle where they are now. But again, they are there on merit.
They have been in third place for nine matches in a row and have held a Champions League place in 22 of the 35 match days in the Premier League so far this season. If Newcastle are celebrating a Champions League place in the next few days, it's one that will be richly deserved.
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