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Newcastle United secured Champions League football for next season after collecting a point in a goalless draw with Leicester City. The hosts dominated possession but couldn’t break through Leicester’s low block. Callum Wilson had the best chance of the game when Dan Burn nodded a cross down to him and he turned it onto the post. The rebound came back but Wilson’s next effort was then cleared off the line but Wilfred Ndidi. Miguel Almiron and Alexander Isak also wasted decent chances on a night that saw Leicester offer no threat at all in front of goal. Still, the Foxes could have won it at the death but Timothy Castagne’s effort was palmed clear by Nick Pope. This point which could prove vital for Leicester’s chances of avoiding relegation this season. Here are how the players rated as Newcastle secured Champions League football: Newcastle United Nick Pope, 7 Probably won’t get an easier clean sheet in his career but turned up in stoppage time to deny Timothy Castagne a snatch-and-grab winner. Kieran Trippier, 5 Arguably Newcastle’s best creator by whipping crosses in from the right wing. Some were better than others with his set piece deliveries providing more threat than from open play. Fabian Schar, 5 Got the crowd excited with a volley from range but smoked it high and wide. Was a quiet night for him defensively. Sven Botman, 6 Played most of the match on the halfway line usually to restart Newcastle’s attacks on goal but was solid in shutting down any counter-attacking runs. Dan Burn, 6 Helped Isak attack down the wing with some overlapping runs and set up Newcastle’s best chance only for Wilson to hit the woodwork. Bruno Guimaraes, 5 Pulled out chips, tricks and threaded passes to try and break Leicester down. Collected a yellow card for a high tackle on Soumaré and lucky not to see red. Sean Longstaff, 7 Impressed on his return from injury to show why he’s an important part of Newcastle’s midfield. Provided an alternate option to the forward line by making runs into the box to help spread Leicester’s defence and got back to cut out a counter-attacking run from Jamie Vardy. Elliot Anderson, 6 A late replacement for the injured Joelinton, performed admirably in the midfield, linking up with Isak to good effect on the left side. Miguel Almiron, 6 Characteristically hard-working and willing to run, caused Thomas trouble all night and pummelled the post from close range. Alexander Isak, 7 Is fully bedded in as Newcastle’s go-to on the left-wing. His footwork is wonderful to watch and a nightmare for defenders, lacked a clinical touch in front of goal. Callum Wilson, 6 Should have scored after Dan Burn nodded down a cross to him, hit the post and had an effort cleared off the line. Substitutes Allan Saint-Maximin, 6 Jacob Murphy, n/a Anthony Gordon, n/a Leicester City Daniel Iverson, 7 A mistake in the first half almost undid his team’s hard work but was twice helped by the post as well as a goal-line clearance from Wilfred Ndidi. Made some fantastic saves in the second half to palm Isak’s shot over the top and deny Longstaff from close range. Timothy Castagne, 6 Was made to work hard against the pace and trickery of Isak and ably managed to keep him at bay with help from a defence-minded Ndidi. Could have won it at the death but fizzed his effort straight at Nick Pope. Harry Souttar, 7 Looked nervous early on but grew into the match and was a strong presence in the box especially against crosses from the wide areas. Jonny Evans, 6 His experience was crucial in the heart of Leicester’s back five, brought confidence and control to a defence that has been lacking recently. Was missed when he went off. Wout Faes, 6 Eager to throw himself into tackles but composed enough to time his challenges well and recover the ball for the Foxes. Worked nicely alongside Evans and Thomas. Luke Thomas, 5 Lost his battle with Miguel Almiron and was fortunate that the Newcastle winger left his shooting boots at home. Improved as the match went on but offered no threat in attack. Boubakary Soumaré, 5 Asked to do a job defensively but was useful in transition on the rare occasions when Leicester earned the chance to counter. Youri Tielemans, 5 Wasn’t afforded the opportunity to show off his attacking talents but provided Leicester with a target to get the ball too when they needed to clear their lines. Wilfred Ndidi, 7 Cleared Callum Wilson’s headed effort off the line to keep Leicester in the contest late in the first half. Did a decent job of handling Guimaraes and Longstaff. Kelechi Iheanacho, 3 Hooked off at half-time for James Maddison with Leicester having an xG of 0. No threat in a system built to counter-attack. Jamie Vardy, 4 Asked to do a thankless job up top as the rest of the team dropped deep to defend. Didn’t get a chance at goal but made some interventions from defensive set pieces. Substitutes James Maddison, 6 Patson Daka, 6 Harvey Barnes, 6 Nampalys Mendy, n/a Read More Premier League clubs ‘furious’ over delays to Man City and Everton financial cases Dean Smith knows time is not on Leicester’s side as they fight for survival Eddie Howe won’t ‘relax on a beach’ if Newcastle qualify for Champions League Newcastle clinch Champions League qualification with Leicester draw Premier League clubs ‘furious’ over delays to financial cases including Man City Newcastle vs Leicester LIVE: Premier League result and reaction

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The Premier League has been repeatedly advised to establish an independent unit in order to speed up complex financial cases such as those involving Manchester City and Everton, as the planet’s most popular competition could be mired in legal uncertainty for years to come. The Independent has been told a core of clubs have been pressing the argument, but that has so far gone unheeded. The sight of chief executive Richard Masters on Sunday presenting the trophy to City - as the club also became the first champions in that situation to also be facing charges that, if proven, could yet see them expelled from the competition - has again raised questions about the Premier League serving as organiser, regulator, investigator and prosecutor. A number of clubs are understood to be increasingly “furious”, particularly with reports of recent delays to the process. It also leaves open the possibility that all of the Premier League’s key battles - the title, Champions League and relegation - could be settled for this season amid regulatory uncertainty about the future. While City face 115 charges related to Financial Fair Play rules and Everton have been referred to an independent commission for an alleged breach of Profit and Sustainability rules, Masters has previously refused to confirm whether it is investigating Newcastle’s ownership after US court documents from majority owners Public Investment Fund appeared to contradict the Premier League’s “legally binding assurances that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will not control” the club. Both City and Everton have strenuously denied any wrongdoing. The key for many others, however, is that it leaves a cloud over everything that happens. A strident view within legal circles is that the nature of cases like those involving City and Everton is so financially complex that it goes beyond general sporting disciplinary issues, and requires specific financial experts involved from the outset rather than just heavyweight legal figures. This is why Uefa and the EFL have two independent bodies, with the continental federation setting up the Investigatory and Adjudicatory Chamber and the English body mirroring that with Club Financial Review Panel and Club Financial Review Unit. Such units both speed up processes but also take discretion away from the boards, ensuring - in the words of the EFL’s own announcement - “consistency and independence”. A number of Premier League club employees have been pointing to this, as the perception grows that City’s strategy is again one of obstruction, just as Uefa figures have spoken about. Several sources describe it as a “mess”, with the competition facing pressure from both sides, but one that was “foreseeable and avoidable”. Some of Everton’s Premier League rivals have meanwhile requested their case be fast-tracked, so that everything can be settled before the end of the season. Should the Goodison Park club go down, the EFL would not be able to pursue the case, although it is understood the commission would continue. An illustration of how this could cause other complications, however, is that if the case did then conclude with Everton being issued with a points deduction, that would not apply in the EFL. It would have to wait until a period when the club returned to the Premier League. As it stands, commissions are appointed to deal with all disciplinary issues in the elite competition. Whereas the panel to form these commissions used to be recommended by the league and approved by the clubs, with the Premier League itself then selecting the individual from that panel for the relevant issue, this was changed in early 2020. A fully independent chair appoints legal and financial experts onto the Judicial Panel, and it will be then up to him to decide who should go on the Commission. It is Murray Rosen KC’s appointment as chair that City are reported to have objected to, due to the fact he is an Arsenal fan. The argument is this process has evolved to become more independent, and a stance within the Premier League has been that the clubs prefer the board to handle various issues. There is increasing debate about that, though, as figures at clubs have become frustrated with proceedings. One counter-argument is that the commissions have always been independent, but what is so important about independent units is that they do investigations and prosecutions. Some Premier League executives have also pointed to how the case of Reading in the EFL was dealt with in a few weeks, whereby the club was issued a second six-point penalty after failing to satisfy a business plan agreed after a historical breach of Profit and Sustainability limits. “You can’t have the same people charging clubs and helping them through processes,” one source said. “It’s obvious.” Beyond that, several sources have spoken of how the Premier League’s legal workload has significantly increased with the case. Some figures in that area have spoken of how it reflects the transformed role of the competition. Whereas it used to almost be a partners’ group whose main business was actually selling media rights, with many historically having boasted of their streamlined team, it has grown into one that has to deal with the most complex legal and financial cases. “It needs specialists and hard-nosed litigators who will scare the hell out of clubs to keep them in line,” was one view. Read More Financial charges cast cloud over Man City's dominance in English soccer Man City’s quest for legitimacy is a battle they may never win Five titles in six years: Are Manchester City destroying the Premier League? Newcastle vs Leicester LIVE: Latest Premier League updates Brighton’s top talents may move on before European challenge – Roberto De Zerbi Bad decisions and poor signings – where has it gone wrong for Leeds?

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