It ended Newcastle 3 PSV 0.
Ahead of each game we ask one of our writers to come up with three positives and three negatives following the match.
An interesting game at St James’ Park…
Plenty to talk about after this one.
On this occasion it is The Armchair Fan.
POSITIVES
Result
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, football is a results business and a 3-0 win against any team at any level is not to be sniffed at.
To win so emphatically in a crucial Champions League match would have been beyond our wildest dreams just a few short years ago. A fantastic result that was fully deserved.
League table
Newcastle United, one way or another (minimum of play-off round), have qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time in our history!
The comprehensive victory means we’ll either go through automatically as a top eight team or enter the play-offs as a team finishing between ninth and twenty fourth.
An incredible achievement and further progress for Eddie Howe who took on the job when we were near certainties for relegation to the Championship.
Captain Miley
What a moment for young Lewis when Kieran Trippier handed him the armband in the eighty-seventh minute.
A local lad on top of his game and now a captain of Newcastle United in the Champions League.
Miley is growing into a superstar and, with age on his side, could be a legend for club and country for many years to come.
NEGATIVES
Bruno injury
With so many injuries piling up, the sight of Bruno limping off at the end of the first half was the very last thing we wanted to see.
Thankfully, he returned to the bench to watch the end of the second half, implying that the injury won’t be as bad as first feared. Fingers crossed on good news from our captain.
League table!
The league table is so ridiculously tight that NUFC can finish anywhere between third and eighteenth in the league.
With a hard match away to PSG to come, we could be in for a stressful night to see if we can make automatic qualification for the next round.
The Toon will be desperate to avoid an additional two play-off matches in an already hectic schedule and will almost certainly need a win in France to achieve this.
Dropped points
In light of the above, we could have been home and dry in the top eight had we not dropped silly points in the Champions League so far.
NUFC were 1-0 up at half-time against Marseille and 2-1 up at the very end against Bayer Leverkusen and should have seen a far better return than just the one point.
Giving away leads has really hindered our Champions League form this season and unfortunately may well ensure we have to face an additional two gruelling matches in the play-off round.
Newcastle 3 PSV 0 – Wednesday 21 January 2026 8pm
Match Stats
Goals:
Newcastle United:
Wissa 8, Gordon 30, Barnes 65
PSV:
Possession was Newcastle 54% PSV 46%
Total shots were Newcastle 11 PSV 6
Shots on target were Newcastle 4 PSV 1
Corners were Newcastle 3 PSV 1
Touches in the opposition box Newcastle 29 PSV 11
Newcastle team v PSV:
Pope, Tripper (Willock 87), Thiaw, Botman, Hall, Tonali, Joelinton (Ramsey 72), Bruno (Miley 48), Barnes, Gordon (Elanga 72), Wissa (Woltemade 72)
Unused subs:
Thompson, Ramsdale, Alex Murphy, Neave, Shahar