Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville says he expects Newcastle to finish in the top four following their excellent recent form.

Even after the home win over Manchester United, Neville says he expected Eddie Howe‘s side to fall back into the clutches of the chasing pack due to some difficult fixtures, but that has proven not to be the case:

“I didn’t have them down as top-four probably three weeks ago and even after the [Manchester] United game, I thought ‘well they’ve got three tough away games now in West Ham, Brentford and Aston Villa. You’ll probably drop points in that and it will give Tottenham and Liverpool maybe a chance’.”

“But looking at them now, watching them closely against Manchester United where I thought they were absolutely brilliant, I think they will finish in the top four now because their confidence will be so high.”

You have to give Howe and his team huge credit for how well they have been playing in recent weeks. Especially after the loss to United in the Carabao Cup final and the subsequent defeat to City in the league, the Magpies could have lost all momentum.

However, they have responded magnificently, reeling off five consecutive wins. They are three points ahead of Tottenham, with a game in hand, and a further three ahead of Aston Villa, who they play next.

Of course, Newcastle still have some tricky fixtures to come, including Arsenal and Chelsea, but they have put themselves in the driving seat for Champions League qualification.