By the time kick-off rolls around on Sunday, we may very well have already qualified for the Champions League. We need just three points from our remaining two matches to exceed Everton’s potential haul, and should they lose to title-chasing Man City on Saturday fourth is ours. There’s still a faint glimmer that we could climb as high as third, but as this depends in part on Man City losing, we may as well set our sights on finishing fourth.

And so it begins. The end, that is. With just three matches left for us and Newcastle, we control our destiny, at least as far as fourth is concerned, while Newcastle can ease the off the clutch and let it coast across the line. After all, they’re firmly ensconced mid-table, with nothing to venture, gain, or lose. Their recent form—five consecutive losses—suggests that they may have already taken the keys from the ignition, not that we should apply any handbrakes at our end.