Newcastle is one win away from a return to the Champions League.
The Saudi-controlled club beat Brighton 4-1 on Thursday to strengthen its hold on third place in the Premier League.
Three more points will guarantee Newcastle a top-four finish and an automatic spot in the Champions League, a competition the club last played in 20 years ago. The team's remaining games are at home to next-to-last Leicester and away to Chelsea.
“It is still so far away,” said Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, who hasn't wanted to talk about his team's Champions League chances.
“When it's done," he added, "I'll talk about it for fun if you want.”
Brighton striker Deniz Undav had an eventful game at St. James' Park, glancing Kieran Trippier's inswinging corner into his own net to give Newcastle the lead in the 23rd minute.
Trippier had a key role in the second goal, too, as he curled in a free kick that was nodded in by tall left back Dan Burn in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time.
Undav made amends for his own-goal — Brighton's league-high sixth of the season — by running onto Billy Gilmour's defense-splitting pass and converting a finish to reduce the deficit in the 51st.
Callum Wilson ensured there was no way back with a goal on the breakaway in the 89th and he set up Bruno Guimaraes for a fourth two minutes later.
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