Newcastle are one win away from a return to the Champions League.

The Saudi Arabia-controlled club beat Brighton 4-1 on Thursday to strengthen their 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 by running onto Billy Gilmour’s defence-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.

Wilson took his tally of league goals this season to 18, putting him fifth on the scoring list. It is the most by a Newcastle player in a single season since 2003-04, when Alan Shearer scored 22 goals.

The loss for sixth-place Brighton all but ended their top-four hopes.

Jones to bid United adieu

Manchester: Manchester United centre back Phil Jones said on Friday that he will leave the club after 12 years when his contract expires at the end of the season, ending an injury-plagued stay at Old Trafford.

Jones, 31, has played more than 200 games for United but has endured a torrid time with injuries over the past four seasons, managing only 13 appearances since the start of the 2019-20 campaign.

“My time at Manchester United has been nothing short of incredible,” Jones wrote in an open letter to United fans. “To wear this shirt just once, to wear this badge and represent everyone associated with it, has been an honour.

“It’s not a time to be sad. It’s a time to look back and be happy that I managed to live a dream at United.”

He has made 229 appearances for United since joining from Blackburn Rovers in 2011 and also has 27 caps for England.

Reuters