Steve Bruce remains unconvinced that his Newcastle side have secured their Premier League status despite an emphatic victory over Sheffield United which moved them 11 points clear of the relegation zone.
The Magpies have 38 points with eight games remaining, and a win over struggling Aston Villa on Wednesday would all but secure safety.
Manager Bruce told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We can’t take anything for granted because you never know. The points return with eight games to go… I can’t be more pleased.
“If somebody said with eight games to go that we’re two points behind Arsenal, I wouldn’t quite believe it.”
It was a great day for Bruce and his striker Joelinton, who scored only his second Premier League goal, and his first since 25 August.
The relief on the Brazilian striker’s face was apparent when he tapped in Newcastle’s third, and although there were no fans inside St James’ Park to celebrate with, no doubt many were screaming with delight as the £40m striker ended his terrible run in front of goal.
That was the icing on a sweet Magpies cake. Despite playing their first match since the Premier League restarted, they looked far fresher than their opponents who produced one of their worst defensive displays of the season, capped by the red card shown to John Egan five minutes after the break.
