Sheffield United have been relegated from the Premier League following a 5-1 thrashing by Newcastle United at St James' Park.
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Sheff Utd initially went ahead through Anel Ahmedhodzic, but Alexander Isak netted in both halves for the Magpies, while Bruno Guimaraes helped to complete the turnaround.
Ben Osborn's own goal took the game further away from Chris Wilder's side, and Callum Wilson rounded off the scoring, inflicting on the Blades a 25th league defeat of the season and confirming their immediate return to the Championship.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
36 | -18 | 29 |
| 18 |
Luton
LUT
|
36 | -29 | 26 |
| 19 |
Burnley
BUR
|
36 | -35 | 24 |
| 20 |
Sheffield Utd
SHU
|
36 | -65 | 16 |
Newcastle stay in seventh place, four points above West Ham United in eighth.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
36 | +20 | 67 |
| 5 |
Spurs
TOT
|
35 | +11 | 60 |
| 6 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
35 | +22 | 56 |
| 7 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
35 | +11 | 54 |
| 8 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
35 | -3 | 54 |
| 9 |
West Ham
WHU
|
36 | -14 | 49 |
How the match unfolded
On a day where Sheff Utd needed to win, they got off to a fast start as Gustavo Hamer set up Ahmedhodzic for a close-range headed finish after just five minutes.
However, Isak equalised for the hosts as he scored for the seventh home game in a row, slotting into the bottom-left corner just before the half-hour mark.
The Blades regained momentum shortly after, and Ben Brereton Diaz saw a shot blocked on the line by Dan Burn before Mason Holgate flicked a header against the woodwork from the resulting corner as the teams headed into the break level.
However, Newcastle soon took advantage of some slack defending to go ahead as Guimaraes netted his fifth goal of the season with an unmarked diving header.
Holgate conceded a penalty for a clumsy challenge on Anthony Gordon just before the hour-mark, which Isak confidently dispatched. The Swede's 19th Premier League goal of the season leaves him only one behind Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer in the race for the Castrol Golden Boot.
The Blades' misery was then further compounded just four minutes later when Osborn inadvertently flicked the ball into the back of his own net.
Wilson then rifled a fifth into the top-right corner to add further gloss to the scoreline.
Goal-happy Magpies
Across both Premier League meetings this season, Newcastle have scored 13 goals against Sheff Utd, breaking a club record for the most goals scored against an opponent in a single campaign in the competition.
The previous record was 10 goals against Sheffield United’s rivals Sheffield Wednesday, with the Magpies achieving that feat in the 1999/00 campaign.
The Magpies have also scored in all 18 of their Premier League home games this season, with their 48 goals in total their most at St James' Park in a top-flight campaign since they netted 54 in 1996/97.
Sheff Utd down and out
It has been a tough season for the Blades, who became the first team to have their relegation from the Premier League confirmed this season.
They sit bottom of the table with just 16 points after winning only three matches this season, conceding 97 goals, the most in a 38-game season in the competition's history.
Despite a spirited start to the game against Newcastle, they could not build on that to delay their demotion, and they will be playing second-tier football next season.
Club reports
Newcastle report | Sheff Utd report
Final Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Today’s defeat confirms Sheffield United’s relegation back down to the Championship. Indeed, the Blades have suffered their ninth top-flight relegation (as many as local rivals Sheffield Wednesday, also nine), with only five teams suffering the drop from the top division of English football on more occasions; Birmingham City (12), Leicester City (12), West Brom (11), Bolton (10) and Manchester City (10).
Alexander Isak has scored 19 Premier League goals this season, the most by a Newcastle player in a single top-flight campaign since Alan Shearer netted 22 in 2003/04. Indeed, he’s scored in each of his last seven Premier League games at St James’ Park, with only Andrew Cole, with eight in 1993/94, and Alan Shearer (15 in 1996/97) netting in more consecutive home appearances for the Magpies in the competition.
Sheffield United have conceded 97 goals in their 35 Premier League games this season, with only Swindon Town (100 in 42 games in 1993/94) conceding more in an entire campaign in the competition’s history.
Newcastle have gone on to win all 11 Premier League games when Bruno Guimaraes has found the back of the net, the joint best 100 per cent win rate for a player when scoring in the competition’s history alongside Chris Smalling (11/11).
