Newcastle United secured seventh spot in the Premier League table courtesy of a 4-2 win over Brentford on the final matchday of the 2023-24 campaign.
Eddie Howe's side have finished above Manchester United in eighth, and as it stands, they will be qualifying for the playoff round of next season's Conference League.
However, should Man United beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final next weekend, the Red Devils would qualify for the group stage of the 2024-25 Europa League and Chelsea would drop into the Conference League, with Newcastle missing out on Europe altogether.
As for Brentford, they have been confirmed as 16th-placed finishers, with the Bees picking up 39 points from their 38 matches, ultimately leaving them 13 points ahead of the relegation zone.
Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak registered for Newcastle in the opening half of action, while Vitaly Janelt and Yoane Wissa scored for Brentford in the second period.
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Newcastle will be sweating over European spot
Bruno Guimaraes then netted a fourth for Newcastle in the 78th minute, with the Brazil international converting from inside the box after a loose save from Brentford's Mark Flekken.
Brentford thought that they had made the breakthrough in the early exchanges, with Ivan Toney tapping a cross from Bryan Mbeumo into the back of the net from close range, but it was chalked off, with the latter found to be offside following a VAR check.
The hosts were lively, but it was Newcastle that made the breakthrough in the 21st minute, with Barnes heading a brilliant cross from Guimaraes into the back of the net.
Shortly after, Sean Longstaff looked to have scored a second for the visitors, converting from close range after smart work from Isak, but the midfielder's effort was ruled out for offside.
Newcastle did manage to double their lead in the 37th minute, with Murphy converting at the far post after Isak had delivered a dangerous cross into the Brentford penalty box.
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Newcastle too strong for Brentford on the afternoon
It then became 3-0 in the 38th minute, with Isak finding the far corner of the net with a clever finish.
The 24-year-old has ended the 2023-24 campaign with 21 Premier League goals to his name, cementing his spot as one of the most impressive forwards currently operating in England's top flight.
Five shots on target and three goals represented an incredibly effective first half for Newcastle, but Brentford got their name on the scoresheet early in the second period, with Janelt turning a low cross from Wissa into the back of the net to make it a 3-1 match.
Wissa then registered in the 70th minute to set up a grandstand finish, with the striker finding the back of the net courtesy of a wonderful effort from outside the box.
However, Guimaraes netted a fourth for Newcastle in the 77th minute, and Howe's side will now be hoping that Man City win the FA Cup final next weekend to allow them to play in Europe again next season.
Matt Law
