Newcastle United could already be considered an elite Premier League club, according to data from analysts Gracenote.
The Magpies have improved dramatically since a Saudi Arabian-backed £305m takeover in October and the appointment of head coach Eddie Howe a month later.
They drew 3-3 with champions Manchester City on Sunday to take them on to five points from three games this season. Howe’s side have taken 1.95 points per Premier League match in 2022.
Liverpool have the most points per game this year — 2.41, just above champions Manchester City on 2.38. Tottenham, with two points a game, are the only other team above Newcastle.
Simon Gleave, head of sports analysis at Nielsen Gracenote, said: “If Newcastle sustain their current points per match until the end of the year, it will be the best calendar year performance by a non-big-six club since the ‘big six’ became established in 2009.
“Newcastle United’s Premier League performance in 2022 suggests that they may already be part of the elite in England.”
Newcastle were 19th in the Premier League — five points from safety after 11 games — when Howe was appointed, replacing Steve Bruce and guiding them to an 11th-place finish.
Manchester United are joint ninth in the 2022 table — level with Brentford — with 1.3 points per match. United’s win over Liverpool on Monday was only their eighth in the league all year.
This year could be the fourth in a row in which a ‘big-six’ team has finished outside the top six in a calendar year. Before 2019, it only happened three times in 10 years.
Meanwhile, Newcastle will finish on 74 points if their 2022 tally is matched over 2022-23. In 23 of the past 27 Premier League seasons, that was enough for a top-four finish.
