Chris Wilder's side are 10 points from safety with just three games left following their 25th league defeat of a dismal season. The bottom of the table Blades, who have only three league victories this term, will return to the Championship just 12 months after winning promotion.

Anel Ahmedhodzic put the visitors ahead at St James' Park, but Alexander Isak struck twice, Bruno Guimaraes and Callum Wilson each netted and Ben Osborn scored an own goal to complete the rout.

It was the Blades' fourth successive defeat, leaving them without a win in their last 11 games. Wilder's men have conceded 13 goals in their last three matches in a fitting coda to a season that has appeared destined to end in relegation for months.

They have set a new record for the most goals conceded in a 38-game Premier League season, with 97 allowed in 35 games. They are also on track to beat Swindon's all-time Premier League record of 100 goals conceded in 1993-94 when the division was made up of 22 teams as opposed to the current 20.

An 8-0 home defeat against Newcastle in September underlined the depth of the Blades' struggles to adapt to life back in the top tier. So it was fitting that Newcastle also delivered the final nail in their relegation coffin.

Wilder had already conceded relegation was inevitable after their midweek loss at Manchester United and his fears were confirmed in brutal fashion on Tyneside.

The Bramall Lane outfit have avoided the ignominy of the lowest points tally in Premier League history, which stands as 11 set by Derby in 2007-08. But if they lose their last three matches, they will have mustered the joint third fewest points in a 38-game Premier League season

April 27, 2024

Ben Osborn

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