Player Newcastle sold in 2018 has just done Eddie Howe a massive favour in battle for UEFA Champions League spot

Eddie Howe will surely be delighted at how this weekend panned out for Newcastle.

The Magpies were handed a boost on Saturday before even kicking a ball as Southampton held Manchester City to a 0-0 draw, giving Newcastle the chance to move ahead of the Citizens into third with victory over Chelsea on Sunday.

That is exactly what happened as goals from Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes secured a 2-0 win over the Blues, and better yet, Nottingham Forest were also held to a 2-2 draw against Leicester, putting Newcastle in a fantastic position with just two Premier League games remaining.

Furthermore, Arsenal failed to beat Liverpool – meaning Newcastle could even leapfrog the Gunners into second place by beating them next week – and an incident involving Mikel Merino in the 79th minute at Anfield added icing on the cake for Howe.

Mikel Merino banned for Arsenal vs Newcastle

The Spain international picked up a second yellow card in the 79th minute against Liverpool, earning himself a one-match ban.

Of course, this means Merino – who Newcastle sold to Real Sociedad in 2018 – will be absent when the Magpies travel to the Emirates Stadium next week, which is sure to please Howe given how well the Spaniard has played of late.

The Arsenal No.23 has been a key player for Arsenal in the second half of the campaign in the unnatural position of striker, where Mikel Arteta deployed him following serious injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

Merino can boast eight goals and five assists in 42 games for Arsenal this term, including a brilliant strike against Real Madrid – two of those assists also came inside the Santiago Bernabeu as the Gunners defeated Los Blancos on their own turf.

Arsenal do – admittedly – still have several quality players who can hurt Newcastle, but the fact Merino, who Jamie Carragher admires, is now suspended for the game is nothing less than a boost for the Magpies.

Drama at Nottingham Forest may also benefit Newcastle

As you may have already seen, Evangelos Marinakis – owner of Nottingham Forest – was visibly livid after the Reds missed the chance to move to within just two points of Newcastle.

The man from Greece seemed to berate Nuno Espirito Santo on the City Ground pitch after the 2-2 draw against relegated Leicester, so Newcastle may hope for internal conflict and a collapse at Nottingham Forest, which could further aid Howe’s hopes of UEFA Champions League qualification.

This post was originally published on this site